Alyssa Dennis.
Home School, 2011
Courtesy the artist
RAW MATERIAL
Drawings and Installations by Alyssa Dennis
Curated by Amy Mackie
October 18 – December 15, 2013
Opening reception October 18, 7 – 10pm
"Raw Material" includes drawings and installations by New York-based artist Alyssa Dennis inspired by sustainable building projects and eco-architecture initiatives such as The Phoenix Commotion, The Kevin Rohan Memorial Eco Foundation (KRMEF), and Earthship Biotecture. According to Dennis, “by using the visual representation of constructed space, I work to assemble hybridized situations of manmade elements and non-manmade elements, which also actively manipulate time and space based on their cultural connotations.” In intricately composed drawings, she simultaneously layers and exposes multifarious environments and scenarios that speak not only to the pressing concerns of sustainable architecture, but to the precarious nature of our constructed reality. A collaborative sculpture/curatorial office constructed by Alyssa Dennis and Ricardo Barba is also on view.
The exhibition is presented on the first floor of PARSE in conjunction with an event organized by The Drop, which features work by Abdi Farah, Sophie T. Lvoff, and Bob Snead, on the third floor. Both initiatives are part of the Hand-in-Glove conference in New Orleans.
ABOUT THE ARTIST
Alyssa Dennis (b. 1980, Springfield, MA) is an artist whose work is rooted in the concepts and issues of the built environment. She has exhibited nationally and internationally and at art fairs including Pulse in Los Angeles and Miami. Dennis is the recipient of multiple grants and awards including a nomination for the Joan Mitchell Foundation Grant and a Tulane University Summer Fellowship in 2010. Her work has garnered critical attention in various magazines including Architect Magazine and Urbanite Magazine amongst others. She has completed numerous residencies including Oxbow at the Art Institute of Chicago in Michigan, Parse Gallery in New Orleans, and Lobot Gallery in Oakland. She holds an M.F.A. from Tulane University and a B.F.A. from the Maryland Institute College of Art. Dennis is represented by Kesting/Ray Gallery in New York and Ellen Miller Gallery in Boston. Her work resides in the collection of the 2008 Olympic metal winner Michael Phelps and the Microsoft Art Collection. She currently lives and works in New York.
