Come on in and make yourself at home, but keep your feet off the table, and always use a coaster! While the domestic sphere in America has become an increasingly complex venue for exploring male and female identities, contemporary artists of both genders investigate the nature of domestic bliss and the many obstacles to attaining it. Such investigations range from a nostalgic quest for domestic perfection to the struggle for self-realization, to the lures of conspicuous consumption. Today's American dream is enmeshed in a network of feng shui, work-at-home business strategies, domestic-goddess advice, and "maybe next year" vacation plans. Home on the Edge presents familiar images and objects manipulated to illustrate ideas of desire, constraint and freedom. Join us for the free opening reception on Friday, Nov 19, from 5-9pm.

Whether we decorate with pricey antiques or dollar-store tchotchkes, our homes represent our dreams and desires. The impulse to make our homes inviting to others inspires us to tidy up before company arrives. Johnna Kwon's photographs present a worm's-eye-view of dusty little corners of the home, debunking the myth of the "spotlessly clean" household. Stephen Litchfield's piano room strikes a chord of wealth and status, though the sense of cozy invitation is only a façade. Susan Hamburger's paper and foamcore objects expose the illusion of the 'ordinary,' resembling fine china and hand-painted delft ceramic tiles. Imitating traditional Spode blue willow designs, Hamburger subtly inserts scenes and motifs found around her Williamsburg, Brooklyn studio. Michael Crowder enhances the fragility of treasured objects by casting them in clear glass, freezing the very essence of nostalgia into sparkling and delicate ghosts.

The desire to have it all - the perfect wedding and thus the perfect life - pervades the work of Melissa Haviland, who shows that life's special moments are as delicate as her gossamer objects. Basic human fears and desires are reified in Alison Luoma's sculptures, in which familiar household forms come alive and hint at their own sensual dreams and inner demons. Melted spoons swarm around a pair of pure white, cartoonishly oversized shoes, while a group of ironing boards morphs into a set of toys for a dominatrix.

Alison Slein's photographs focus on escaping the home's interior through holes punched through walls and floors. At times the outside world is all blue skies and sunshine, but it can also be dark and ominous, exposing the risk of realizing one's fantasy to escape. Scott Betz transforms the monotony of daily life through personal narrative. Betz's sculptural drawings emphasize a search for meaning amidst the imagery of diapers, toys and other necessities of caring for small children. Elaine Chow uses furniture forms to communicate a sense of home as a place where people come and go, leaving subtle evidence of their presence. Creating stains and wear marks, the artist alludes to the comfort of familiar things, while her delicate watercolor backdrops recontextualize furniture as objects with an abstract beauty all their own.

Closing Reception: Friday, Jan 7, 2005, 5 - 9 pm.

SPACES is a non-profit, artist-run, alternative space gallery. Since 1978, SPACES has given over 8,000 artists in the visual and performing arts an arena in which to present challenging new ideas. SPACES is located at 2220 Superior Viaduct on the West side of the Flats. Superior Viaduct runs parallel to the Detroit Superior Bridge at the intersection of West 25th Street.

spacelab

return to archive

Alison Luoma

Stephen Litchfield

Michael Crowder

Elaine Chow

Susan Hamburger