September 6, 2018 - September 23, 2018
TAFETA is pleased to present “The kind of show is made by squeezing”. A solo show of works by Arlene Wandera.
The exhibtibition title, which is also the title of the series of works being presented, is a line taken from a poem in “Tender Buttons”– a book of abstract poetry by Gertrude Stein, one of Parisian art history’s most famous multiculturalists.
Stein’s artistic vision is a touch-stone for the ability to reveal the truth of things by breaking down conventional descriptions and prescriptions.
According to Wandera, using “Tender Buttons” as her point of inspiration, she is interested in the idea of turning a familiar object into something unorthodox.
Choosing a “book” as her base object/material, the process of creating the works are intuitive, almost like “automatic sculpting”, influenced by the way objects and materials interact. This results in individual works that are slightly skewed and/or abstracted.
Wandera’s intention is to immerse viewers in a re-orienting experience, looking beyond the historical, emotional and cultural connections linked to the object “book”. This is also reinforced through the titling of the works.
Titling has always played a crucial role in the works, and Wandera has been known to use humour as an entry point into works that engage with more serious themes. According to the artist, unlike her previous works, she wanted the titling of this show to create an opportunity to venture into unwalked paths of interpretation. Some of the titles allude to their original book titles whilst others borrow from Stein’s experimental use of language.