Chloe Wise in ‘Fantasy America’
Exhibited at the Andy Warhol Museum Pittsburgh, PA
February 2021 - August 2021
Andy Warhol’s Fantasy America
On view from March 5 - August 20 2021
https://www.warhol.org/exhibition/fantasy-america/
The Warhol Museum’s 2021 exhibition featured a cadre of New York based contemporary artists who were invited to respond to an original Warhol publication “Fantasy America” from 1985.
Nona Faustine, Kambui Olujimi, Pacifico Silano, Naama Tsabar, and Chloe Wise all contributed works that were reflections on America and their place in. Chloe Wise proposed an interesting addendum which was that in addition to installing her paintings and video work in the exhibition we should install carpet. But not only only the floors, but also the walls, plinths and benches of the gallery.
The project began with a proposal drawing for atypical bench shapes contributed by the artist. These were similar to work that Chloe Wise had exhibited in a 2019 London show at the Almine Rech gallery ‘Not That We Don’t’.
After a series of design iterations I created final dimensional drawings of the ‘benches’ that were selected for construction. During this process we were sure to adhere to ADA guidelines for building accessible museum furniture while also adhering to the artists vision for the works.
Fabricating for these fixtures was done out of 3/4” MDO (Medium Density Overlay). This was typical in the Warhol Museum for all of our platforms and plinths, it is a suitably strong material and holds up well for museum use and abuse while also accepting paint.
Carpeting was added to all faces of the benches so that it would be seamlessly incorporated into the exhibit. A series of tests were performed to determine what adhesive would offer the greatest resistance to handling by museum visitors. At this stage functional elements were added such as trash bins and hidden tissue box storage. These elements needed to be hidden also remaining accessible to museum staff for regular cleaning and replacement.
This installation would not have been complete without the additional carpeting covering not only the floor but also the walls of the gallery and the interior of the theater space.
The final striking assemblage built to the artist specifications provided a unique immersive experience to visitors and presented an interesting fabrication and maintenance challenge for the duration of the exhibit.
