MAURA WRIGHT

MIDWEST SWEAT, Jane Hartsook Gallery at Greenwich House Pottery, New York, NY

May 12 - June 23, 2023

The title Midwest Sweat has a dual meaning. Physically, it evokes my memories of the sweltering heat of midwest summers. But it also suggests the suffocating fretfulness of provincial life, a life that often seems out of reach, out of comprehension. 

Midwest Sweat pairs sculptures nostalgic of a 90’s upbringing with sinister interpretations of objects designed for “self care.” The objects reflect the societal expectations of women to maintain youth and beauty, the dichotomy of girlhood and womanhood, and the accelerated transition between these two social constructs in contemporary culture. 

Decorative vessels simultaneously question and celebrate beauty as they embody qualities deemed feminine: fleshy pinks, flowers, and braids. To reflect the human body, imperfections in the surface are not hidden. Small glaze flaws resemble pores on the skin. White glaze is flushed with the earthenware clay it obscures. Mottled gray pours over a floral amphora creating a surface on the verge of grunge. 

Thematically doused in nostalgia, Midwest Sweat displays a personal history that both struggles with and celebrates femininity. Pairing domestically inspired checkered and floral patterns with classical ornament, the works embrace a theatrical approach to the archetype of still life and the dramatization of lived realities.

Corn Sweat, a play on the exhibition title Midwest Sweat, references the expansive corn fields that consume the midwestern landscape. Corn sweat is a term used to describe the process of plants exhaling water. An acre of corn is said to produce or “sweat” up to 4,000 gallons of water a day, contributing to the humidity and mugginess common in the midwest during summer months.

“Those who do not want to imitate anything, produce nothing.” - Salvador Dali 

Modeled on a brass trinket dish I’ve owned since childhood and following in the footsteps of Salvador Dali, Mo parodies the most reproduced painting in the world, Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa, as a reimagined self portrait. Mo signifies both an acquired nickname from a tight knit group of friends and an abbreviated version of the original title.

The overt kitschiness of my Mona Lisa trinket box hints at an acquisition from a summer yard sale, but in reality the memory of its origin is lost. It was unlike any of my other possessions. This gold ornamental box, lined in red velvet, did not fit into the midwestern, middle class home in which I was raised. The Mona Lisa was one of the only clues to an art world I knew nothing about; in a region that often distrusted culture.

Mo explores the role self portraiture plays in a broader artistic focus and how my image changes the context of a kitsch object produced to mimic the hand-painted, vanity object on which it was replicated. In this, I highlight the role the souvenir plays as an heirloom among the lower income and middle classes and the commercialization of art and cultural icons that provides the only accessible glimpse into a world that otherwise disregards the masses.

The charm bracelet, a fashion accessory that has stood the test of time, dates back as far as 600 to 400 B.C. Charm bracelets have evolved, but the desire to represent one's own characteristics, achievements, and ambitions is evergreen. Playing on the nostalgia inherent in these objects, I reference my own charm bracelet and the tokens collected while  discovering oneself in childhood and adolescence. Drawing on more contemporary subjects, Charming symbolizes a depiction of womanhood, celebrating not only personal empowerment but also the anxieties and guilt that come with adulthood.

Supported in part by a grant from the Montana Arts Council, an agency of State Government.