(In)/Animate Objects, Wall Dolls A1-I18, El Camino College Art Gallery (Torrance)

February 13 – March 9, 2023, at El Camino College Art Gallery I’m showing Wall Dolls A1-I18 from the (In)/Animate Objects collection as part of the exhibition, Telling Stories. (In)Animate Objects is a body of work consisting of thousands of decaying rag dolls that explore frailty, impermanence, and the insatiable need for love at the heart of the obsessional life.  At the gallery, I will be showing 162 dolls from the collection alongside a video that explains their origins. 

In the video, I discuss the creation of Object of Her Affection, a solo puppet-based performance art piece centered on a woman, who in her search for true love, develops intimate relationships with inanimate objects.  The performance led to the construction of the dolls from the (In)/Animate Objects series. This presentation was originally part of the Volkenburg Puppetry Symposium, moderated by Dr. Paulette Richards, at The Chicago International Puppet Theater Festival. It initially streamed on HowlRound in partnership with the School of the Art Institute of Chicago Performance Department. This is an edited version of that presentation.

Telling Stories, showcases the work of artists who tell stories through painting, puppetry, recipe sharing, quilt making, culinary performance, and photography. The includes Jane Chafin, Joyce Dallal, Marsian De Lellis, Joseph Hardesty, Michele Jaquis, Lauren Kasmer + Joyce Dallal, Thomas Kidd, Karen Medley, Rosalyn Myles, Mei Xian Qiu, Craig Torres, the Wednesday Gang Quilting Group, and the El Camino College Anthropology Student Association.