Description
For millennia, the table has been a site for gathering. Whether marking a significant event or the simple joining together, the act of thoughtfully preparing and presenting food or an arranged table transcends culture, age, race, and economics. Today, the average time an American adult spends preparing and serving food is 67 minutes per day — the equivalent of over 400 hours annually. Through the work of artists Dana Sherwood and Beth Galton, Setting the Table contemplates the question of: what, for whom, and why we are extending this effort?
Beth Galton is represented by twelve images, marking four, unique series of lush color photography. Her approach is suggestive of documentary-style work, but upon closer inspection, she asks viewers to really consider “what do we put on the table?” She transforms still-lifes into rich collages of colors, shapes, and forms of food that is carefully prepared and positioned into interesting visual relationships. Galton’s investigation of rotting fruits and vegetables expose portraits that probe questions of consumption choices.
Dana Sherwood’s films and paintings examine “who” the table is set for. Her work draws attention to how the efforts of providing a caring display of beautifully arranged items drive the boundaries of our relationships, intentional or not. Sherwood captures her oblivious key players (the almost-domesticated animals living near, or just in, the borders of the human world) in the act of selection and consumption. Through moving images and carefully constructed paintings, she illustrates the lack of control on: how animals/humans “come to the table”, what they select, the impact of the exchange on relationships, and why this effort is extended.
January 13 – April 23, 2023
OPENING EVENT: February 4, 2023 | 5 – 9 PM
ON ART: March 22, 2023 | 6:00 PM
Constance S. & Robert J. Hennessy Project Space