lindsay smith gustave

Literally Behind, Union Hall, January 15 - 30, 2020
Curated by George P. Perez.

Featuring: Julio Alejandro, Lindsay Smith Gustave, Andrew Huffman, John Barnabas Lake, Jennifer Lord, and Marsha Mack.

Literally Behind plays with interior space by utilizing absurd placements of artworks to establish a dynamic and exaggerated installation with domestic materials. By pushing the aesthetics of domestic interiors to the extreme, the exhibition playfully and subversively allows the meanings of the artworks to get mucked up or lost in the context of their display.

The artworks, all created by Colorado-based artists, have been commissioned and selected specifically to be displayed in an atypical and non-traditional manner: obstructed by furniture, situated underneath design objects, hung behind curtains, and peeking through plants. Each artist holds a significant conversation in their work, though individual artworks range drastically in theme. At times, placement and arrangement emphasize the topics they address, while in other arrangements the relationship to domestic materials convolute their meanings.

By asking the viewer to confront the ways that interior spaces and curation methods alter their perceptions of artworks and their meaning, this show is meant to sharpen and break the question, “does this look good over my couch?” Literally Behind suggests that interior design may be a culprit that hides and distracts from an artwork’s meaning, and presents the need to go beyond the traditional methods of displaying art, moving towards methods that further a genuine context.

All photos courtesy of Matthew Pevear.