TREASURY
October 12 – 28, 2013
Opening reception and zine launch October 12, 7-9:30pm
Needles & Pens is pleased to present an exhibition of the work and collection of Chicago based artist Rachel E. Foster. Treasury will be on view from October 11 – 28 with an opening reception and zine launch on October 12 from 7-9:30pm.
When Howard Carter first peered into Tutankhamen’s undisturbed tomb he could not imagine the wonders that awaited him. That moment! – the moment of discovery propels everything forward. It is how we advance culturally, scientifically, and personally. It is what motivates artists to search and create and search again. Artists are constantly discovering and collecting information. For Foster, the internet and books act as the greatest repositories for information. She harvests all of her source material from these places. This allows her to have the same experience as Howard Carter – repeated moments of discovery.
Treasury is to be a series of collaborative exhibitions taking place between the artist and an invited curator. The first iteration works with curator, Amanda Roscoe Mayo. Physically, the treasury is a large box and inside the box is a personal, individualized collection. The contents that make up each collection are handmade artworks created by Foster, found objects, antiques, books, as well as instructions for wall drawings. Each box will act as a book; it will have a vague narrative and all objects will convey a similar tone.
Amanda Roscoe Mayo will blindly greet the box at the exhibition space and unveil the treasures inside. The curator has been invited to create the exhibition with no instruction, guidance, or parameters. The artist bows out of any exhibition decisions entrusting the curator entirely. The framework of the show is one of repetition, the artist makes a discovery, the curator unveils that discovery, and finally the viewer is invited to participate in making their own connections between the works and the information presented.
The goal of the show is to create a learning space between artist, curator, and viewer; where all parties get to participate in the artistic process of researching and the act of “taking in”. Treasury aims to blur the lines between original artwork, source material, and the simple presentation of data. The artist and curator hope that all visitors will gain an insight into the act of collecting and creating.
