CULTURE
Athens, 02-03-2011Carol Wax, “Dance of Shadows”
Beginning this coming Saturday March 5th and through Sunday, June 19th, the Herakleidon Museum on 16 Herakleidon Street in Thissio (210 3461981, via Metro Station: Thissio) will host the art exhibition by Carol Wax, “Dance of Shadows”. It will be comprised of 100 works on paper of the contemporary New York artist Carol Wax. Most of these peices are mezzotints, but a number of pencil and mixed media drawings will also be on display.
The museum informs us that it has published a catalogue raisonné of Carol Wax’s prints created between 1975 and 2005, to acquaint the general public with her work and to highlight the intricacy and skill involved in the mezzotint technique. It includes Ms. Wax’s commentary on a great number of her own works, making it a unique representation of the artist’s inspiration and process.
“To me, ordinary objects seem extraordinary. Artifacts of early industrial manufacturing, discarded shards of recent technology, and kitsch of any era reveal a great deal about our materialistic culture and changing attitudes toward the “stuff” in our lives. Common objects are laden with magic and symbolic associations that reflect and affect the psyche. (…) My interest in kitschy items has recently been heightened by things I find in the street. Whenever I come across these items, (dollar store chatchkes, gag gifts, broken children’s toys, etc.) I question how they came into being and the effort that went into making them. How many sketches, meetings, prototypes, office memos, man-hours, plastic, and energy went into their manufacture? Who would buy these items, how were they used, and did anyone care when they were discarded? Even finding a single child’s sock on the ground makes me think of the effort that went into its manufacture, thoughts the mother had while buying it, and the sadness that must have been felt upon discovering its loss. It’s not just a lost sock, it’s a mini-opera of human pathos. Each item and the manner of its discovery seem to shout, “Pay attention -- something happened!:” -Carol Wax
Carol Wax will also present a series of workshops and tours during which she will demonstrate the technique of mezzotint engraving.