Curated by Stephanie Sherwood, hosted by Artbug Gallery February 10 – March 2, 2024
Celebrating contemporary collaboration
Carly Chubak
Sean Cully
Alexandra Grant
Tina Linville
Annelie McKenzie
Ashton S. Phillips
Dylan Ricards
Steve Roden
Life today has a distinct lack of playfulness, despite social media trying to gamify many forms of social connection. Both the World Health Organization and the U.S. Surgeon General have expressed concerns about rising numbers of reported loneliness: 1 in 4 adults say they are lonely. This show was born out of a need for play and levity as an antidote to loneliness. PLAYground includes collaborative works by artists who exemplify the element of play in both their work and practice.
“NEST,” a large-scale installation by Ashton S. Phillips + Dylan Ricards combines found materials such as chain link fence, toys and natural materials into a delicate playground structure alongside a soundtrack of collected audio. “Noisy Sock,” by Carly Chubak and Sean Cully, was originally intended as a passive outdoor installation but is repurposed as an active indoor piece which rustles and moves in response to its viewers. Annelie McKenzie and Steve Roden swap the role of teacher and student with their paintings: Roden responds to palettes and supplies selected by McKenzie in order to grapple with what material is considered ‘feminine’. A small sculpture by McKenzie and Tina Linville celebrates their years’ long collaborative practice melding painting and fiber. Also included is a multimedia piece created by Linville, McKenzie and Alexandra Grant which fuses bodily forms, thickly painted rainbow hues and Grant’s signature ‘grantLOVE’ lettering. Making art and playing while doing so is a powerful antidote for loneliness, particularly in this time of familiarizing ourselves with social connection after such a long period of social isolation due to COVID-19.