ACCUMULATIONS
new works by MELISSA DAMASAUSKAS, ASHLEY HUDSON, AND LEONARDO KAPLAN
JANUARY 8-9, 2012

Opening Reception: Sunday, Jan 8, 4-8pm
Open Hours: Monday, Jan 9, noon-4pm

ACRE Projects
1913 W 17th Street

ACCUMULATIONS highlights the work of three artists intricately involved in the ACRE residency kitchen with disparate practices connected by a tendency toward collecting, obsession and re-assemblage. Melissa Damasauskas’ Fireplace Fetish is a hearth constructed of soft quilted bricks forming the “log cabin” pattern, a traditional quilt pattern centered around a red “hearth” and representing the log cabin “home.” The fireplace and the quilt are both symbols of warmth and home and have both become generally obsolete, rendered nostalgic remnants of a simpler past and reduced to elements of interior design and decoration. A fetish figure is believed to house a particular spirit which is often “awakened” by pounding nails or sharp objects into it. Fireplace Fetish is intended to house the spirit of home and community, inviting patrons to poke pins into it’s pin-cushion-like structure with the intention of awakening and renewing healthy community. Ashley Hudson explores ideas of imagination, inspiration and humor, creating a collection of fantastic and silly places constructed through collage and sculptural forms. She sees this as an ongoing investigation of her subconscious and her interest in the discarded. Leonardo Kaplan presents the newest piece from the ongoing series, The Gravity of Images involving the production of floor to ceiling, photographic dot pattern murals in various materials. Koala Porno continues his investigation of image reproduction presence through the layering and reproduction of appropriated imagery.

MELISSA DAMASAUSKAS is a fiber/sculpture artist working between Chicago and Northern California. She received her BFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago in 2004. Her work investigates intersections between domestic objects and traditions with the esoteric and magical, often considering presence and absence, intentionality and belief systems. Her other projects include menu planning, program development and cooking for the ACRE Summer residency kitchen.

ASHLEY HUDSON lives and works in Chicago, IL. She received her BFA from Columbia College Chicago in 2004. From 2008-2010, she attend College of the Redwoods in northern California, where she studied historic preservation. Her art practice often involves the obsessive compiling of found objects and images into structures and scenes. Some of her interests include strange and historic architecture, wood, foreclosures, the end of the world, national parks, the subconscious and food.

LEONARDO KAPLAN was born in Columbia and currently lives and works in Chicago. He is involved with various artist-run projects, including ACRE, The Hills Esthetic Center and New Capital Projects.

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Tags: ACRE, Ashley Hudson, Leonardo Kaplan, Melissa Damasauskas, Pilsen