In selecting artwork through an open call, Angel Archives’ founders Emma Long and Audrey Roloff committed to the exhibition’s theme of the collective unconscious. A “more whole vision of Earth and its web of psychic connection,” as Long puts it. Out of hundreds of submissions, they chose just a few dozen, relying on their gut feelings to pick. The resulting show includes classic forms like oil painting and more contemporary approaches like video installation and mixed media sculpture. From traditional to technological, the show exudes an eerie warmth and human touch.
Harmonizing such a diverse set of artworks came naturally to Roloff and Long. Both curators juggle multiple dayjobs on the structural side of creative fields. Roloff freelances as a video editor and social media manager while Long works at two galleries and a vintage shop. In hustling between gigs, Roloff and Long are well trained in dealing with erratic schedules, sourcing funding, and staying focused on a project’s overall visual impact. PSYCHOSPHERE is a chance to flex their organizational and aesthetic muscles off the clock. With their shared work background, Angel Archives herded thirty artists into a stunning pop-up exhibition.
Artist Jacob Frederick Hartman articulates this balance between passion and day job through his piece, Get a Handle on Your Life. The shrine-like wall sculpture features his own painting framed by an explosion of found objects. Frederick Hartman’s job as an art-handler fosters a devotion to detail which becomes apparent in the perfect placement of match-sticks lining Get a Handle on Your Life. He takes the same care installing and packing priceless works of art as he does in constructing his pieces. The collision of different styles reflects the variety of art he’s paid to handle; the sarcastic title, lottery ticket, and action figure trapped within the sippy cup betray a sense of cynicism and yearning inherent to the field. The piece exposes the bittersweet arthandler experience of getting close to the works of famous artists as their servant rather than peer.
Table for Two by Daniella Porras comes from a similar place. This sculpture resembles aquamarine silk cascading over a humble table setting. In fact, Porras created the still life not from fabric, but from paper that she makes with flax and dyes herself. She wraps and presses the paper onto common objects, letting it take their form as it buckles and frays.
Porras’s work as a barista informs her approach to the shared vessels she casts in paper. “A cafe is a transitory space, one where thousands of hands will hold the same mug or cutlery,” she explains. “It grounds us to where we are, and acts as a form of community and routine. Getting a morning cup of coffee is a foundational practice for many.” By molding the shared items in paper, Porras makes a memorial to these intimacies; the sculpture is a ghost of the transience, preserving its shape by a will of its own.
Clusters of people migrate through the gallery, revealing new artworks as they move. Each piece connects to another, and the spiritual web of PSYCHOSPHERE grows dense. The symphonic group show that Emma Long and Audrey Roloff conduct within Lorimoto fosters conversation between artworks and between people. Throughout the night, the question, “is this your work?” echoes through the room. After a few compliments, the new friends move outside to chat about materials, process, and themes.
Connection and conversation motivate makers to lock in at the studio, even after a long day at work. On nights like this, Angel Archives opens up new lanes to young creators trying to figure out where their art belongs and where they belong as artists. ∎
.jpg)
Check out Angel Archives
Follow Angel Archives on Instagram
Check out the artists of PSYCHOSPHERE:
@aquarosephoto
@leahlimpertwalt
@liz_roff
@llrachelannell
@germanmrojas
@afterdreamnoon
@p_____tresnan
@staticglamour
@multiplydeni
@l_eel_lo@_ia._____ina
@sageklein_
@marleyhoward
@pandaminiatures
@rajeshnandwani
@dxj001
@ezjchoi
@perse11phone
@5gheg
@affective_viewing
@jacclaytonn
@juno.quigley
Join the discussion
0 comments