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<\/a>Installation view of “A Loving Struggle,” at the University of Utah’s Gittins Gallery<\/p><\/div>\n
\nIn Viktor Shklovsky\u2019s \u201cArt as Technique,\u201d the character of a horse, contemplating the relationship between humans and their private property, wonders at the oddity of a person\u2019s need to claim an object as \u201cmine\u201d without regard to if that object presents any function or necessity for the person claiming it. There is a realization in this essay \u2014 through the insight of this all-knowing horse \u2014 that to humans, the importance of ownership of a physical object is more important than one\u2019s relationship to that object. That is to say, to own a cup is more important than using it.<\/h4>\nIn Kathryn Wingard\u2019s<\/a> A Loving Struggle<\/em>, recently installed in the Gittins Gallery, the artist threw herself into the pursuit of understanding her own relationship to objects she interacts with, showing a fascination and intimacy with domestic objects and spaces. The exhibition was the cumulation of her two-year time as an MFA student at the University of Utah, and though her art practice has been dominated by analysis of physical objects, the exhibition itself proved to be more cemented in video and audio media than in the actual objects she was studying. It is in this simple but powerful gesture that the viewer is able to understand the artist\u2019s intentions with her art practice, and ultimately what the exhibition aims to communicate.<\/h4>\nThe exhibition features three physical installations, each of a seemingly mundane setting: a normal-looking couch, a wall with plates, and a table with a cherry pie. Though on a surface level the settings seem to evoke average domestic spaces, further inspection reveals the uncomfortable nature of Wingard\u2019s work:\u00a0the plates, displayed in a decorative manner akin to what one may find in the home of a conventional grandmother, depict individuals in hospital beds appearing to be near death; the cherry pie jiggles to the vibrations of Wingard\u2019s recorded confessions; and the couch, though fluffy and inviting, is embroidered with human hair and audio emanating from it echoes the disgruntled voices of a family unit.<\/h4>\n![\"\"](\"http:\/\/artistsofutah.org\/15Bytes\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/IMG_8814.jpg\")
<\/a>“What I’m Afraid To Tell: My Mother,” Sound Sculpture, Wood Table, Subwoofer, Amplifier, Cherry Pie Filling, 2018<\/p><\/div>\n
Perhaps the most impactful piece in the exhibition is a seemingly simple video comparing parts of Wingard\u2019s body to that of a cup: lips to rim, fingers in handle, and a grip around the base create an eroticized view of the cup. I would never have anticipated a moment in which I was made to feel uncomfortably aware of the intimacy involved in using a cup, but the experience was nonetheless delightful in its discovery. The video, split in half between imagery of body and imagery of cup, is an elegant summation of what is being spoken to the viewer:\u00a0 the value of an object is not seen within the object itself, but rather in one\u2019s relationship, and more importantly, one\u2019s intimacy with that object.<\/h4>\nThe work exhibited speaks to the push and pull experienced in intimacy. By dissociating herself from the conventions of the objects at play, and inserting ones of unrest, unease, and friction, Wingard evaluates her relationship to the people and places she becomes intimate with by exploring the material culture that she associations with them. It is in every aspect that one can feel the push and pull that is being illustrated. Though the pie moves to the sound of confessions, it stops at just that, leaving you wondering what it is the pie is communicating. The throw pillows adorning the couch invite with the eerie sounds of voices, then cause repulsion with the sight and touch of hair. The plates feel cozy, until the specter of death becomes apparent.<\/h4>\n
The exhibition features three physical installations, each of a seemingly mundane setting: a normal-looking couch, a wall with plates, and a table with a cherry pie. Though on a surface level the settings seem to evoke average domestic spaces, further inspection reveals the uncomfortable nature of Wingard\u2019s work:\u00a0the plates, displayed in a decorative manner akin to what one may find in the home of a conventional grandmother, depict individuals in hospital beds appearing to be near death; the cherry pie jiggles to the vibrations of Wingard\u2019s recorded confessions; and the couch, though fluffy and inviting, is embroidered with human hair and audio emanating from it echoes the disgruntled voices of a family unit.<\/h4>\n<\/a>“What I’m Afraid To Tell: My Mother,” Sound Sculpture, Wood Table, Subwoofer, Amplifier, Cherry Pie Filling, 2018<\/p><\/div>\n
Perhaps the most impactful piece in the exhibition is a seemingly simple video comparing parts of Wingard\u2019s body to that of a cup: lips to rim, fingers in handle, and a grip around the base create an eroticized view of the cup. I would never have anticipated a moment in which I was made to feel uncomfortably aware of the intimacy involved in using a cup, but the experience was nonetheless delightful in its discovery. The video, split in half between imagery of body and imagery of cup, is an elegant summation of what is being spoken to the viewer:\u00a0 the value of an object is not seen within the object itself, but rather in one\u2019s relationship, and more importantly, one\u2019s intimacy with that object.<\/h4>\nThe work exhibited speaks to the push and pull experienced in intimacy. By dissociating herself from the conventions of the objects at play, and inserting ones of unrest, unease, and friction, Wingard evaluates her relationship to the people and places she becomes intimate with by exploring the material culture that she associations with them. It is in every aspect that one can feel the push and pull that is being illustrated. Though the pie moves to the sound of confessions, it stops at just that, leaving you wondering what it is the pie is communicating. The throw pillows adorning the couch invite with the eerie sounds of voices, then cause repulsion with the sight and touch of hair. The plates feel cozy, until the specter of death becomes apparent.<\/h4>\n
<\/a>“What I’m Afraid To Tell: My Mother,” Sound Sculpture, Wood Table, Subwoofer, Amplifier, Cherry Pie Filling, 2018<\/p><\/div>\n