“Whether it is evoked as a metaphor for the bodies’ own fragility, a reenactment of the instability of our structures of habitation, or an archive of sorts in which memories of belonging and attachment exist as silent relics, home in contemporary art figures as a tangible site of memory whose fractured remains serve as melancholic traces of a lost but not forgotten past.” 

– Claudette Lauzon from the Unmaking of Home in Contemporary Art

Unhomely: Exhibiting from Dec 18th 2022 – Feb 12, 2023

When invited into the 9 Paradies location of Unison Arts Center for an exhibition of works that emphasize material exploration and experimentation, the students from the Material Dialogues class at SUNY New Paltz showed little interest in the main gallery space. What they found far more compelling about this location was the maze of small empty rooms with odd decor and palpable history that comprise the older part of the building. They saw this space as a haunted house, a site for exploring the unsettled memories, domestic labors, and traumas associated with home. The students were drawn to the idea of producing works for the bathtub, the deep window sills, and the office space with green shag carpeting. Their material choices have been just as deeply influenced by the space as by their own past. In this show you will encounter works made from dust bunnies, shower curtains, over-painted light switches, glitter, and bubble gum. Many are very carefully synthesized into the setting, it may be difficult to tell where the idiosyncrasies of the space end and the artworks begin.  These nuanced interventions become invitations to discover one’s own associations with home.

Participating Artists:
Mariah Day
Marielena Ferrer
Dillon Finch
Michael Fortenberry
Rachel Gee
Cy Hinojosa
Kaya Keller
Lucifer Kern
Grace Morrow
Raphiel O’Connor
Risa Oshinsky
Joli Perfit
Julia Rattenni
Abby Rose Taylor
Pearl Woytovic