Three Contemporary Artists Explore the Narrative Potential of Wallpaper

A growing number of contemporary artists are harnessing the visual and narrative potential of wallpaper in their work. Among them, Los Angeles-based painter Alec Egan finds poetry in the repetition of patterns. His recent exhibition, "The Study," at New York's Charles Moffett gallery, showcased still life paintings against floral wallpaper, with sculptures integrated into a gallery similarly adorned. Egan expresses satisfaction when wallpapers are either contained within the painting's frame or constrained by a room's corners. Photographer Liz Nielsen, who recently launched a wallpaper line with Schumacher, emphasizes immersion and repetition. She views wallpaper as framing a room, creating an enveloping environment for its objects and inhabitants, and believes it inherently holds time. Nielsen's perspective highlights the capacity of wallpaper to define and contextualize a space, moving beyond a mere decorative element to become an integral part of the artistic narrative. Multimedia duo Barrow Parke, consisting of husband and wife artists, leverage wallpaper's enveloping quality for their installation-based paintings. Their exhibitions, such as "Woman" at JDJ Gallery and the group show "Dangerous Pattern," explore how wallpaper engages viewers through movement. Mark Barrow explains that their paintings, made with meticulous detail and repeated elements, demand close attention from the viewer. The immersive nature of wallpaper, they've discovered, immediately aids in deciphering the multi-layered construction of their artworks. The increasing presence of decorative elements in contemporary art has significantly contributed to wallpaper's integration into gallery spaces. Artists are challenging the traditional boundaries that once separated craft practices like weaving, beading, and ceramics from the fine art market. Today, art exhibitions frequently feature works that draw inspiration from decorative arts, reflecting a broader acceptance and re-evaluation of these forms. Egan has been incorporating wallpaper into his art for a decade, driven by a desire to "build a house through my paintings." He notes a growing interest in "Matisse-like" paintings and draws inspiration from the floral patterns in Édouard Vuillard's works and his grandparents' home. His exploration of blossoming motifs delves into domestic nostalgia and examines themes of interiority and everyday life. Nielsen, a lens-based artist specializing in photograms, sees a connection between wallpaper and her medium. She points out that from Anna Atkins's early botanical photograms to magnified microscope patterns, there's a progression from unique, light-made prints to digital, duplicatable ones. This link suggests a shared essence of capturing and reproducing imagery. Recent trends show a nostalgic resurgence of wallpaper among millennials, prompting manufacturers like Farrow & Ball and Trove to update their designs with patterns reminiscent of older, more traditional styles. Following a collaboration with Google for backdrops and screensavers, Nielsen was invited to develop a collection for Schumacher. Her inquiry into how the subconscious is affected by peripheral imagery guided her creative process. She learned to embrace a degree of letting go in production, which fostered a creative looseness. The Schumacher collection was a collaborative effort, involving a graphic design team and wallpaper curators Barrie Benson and Chandra Johnson of Peg Norriss, who assisted with colorways and scale. Collaboration is also central to Barrow Parke's work, a practice they've maintained since meeting at RISD, where Sarah Parke studied textile design and Mark Barrow studied painting. Wallpaper serves as an ideal medium to blend their respective backgrounds. Mark Barrow highlights the significance of the "domestic" in their work, both conceptually and practically, as their studio has always been within their home. They first introduced wallpaper into their practice two years prior for an exhibition at JDJ Gallery's Ice House in Garrison, New York. Barrow notes the Ice House's history tied to labor, class, and domesticity, as it was formerly a mixed-use agro-industrial compound with living quarters. Sarah Parke explains that wallpaper was chosen to emphasize the convergence of these spheres within the exhibition, acting as an appropriate conceptual medium. The multi-layered nature of their paintings, which includes woven and embroidered elements, further enriches the narrative through texture. Parke concludes that the wallpaper became an extension of their formal structure, simply another layer in their comprehensive artistic approach. #ContemporaryArt #Wallpaper #AlecEgan #LizNielsen #BarrowParke #DecorativeArts #ArtExhibitions #SurfaceDesign #ArtisticCollaboration #ContemporaryArt #Wallpaper #AlecEgan #LizNielsen #BarrowParke #DecorativeArts #ArtExhibitions #SurfaceDesign #ArtisticCollaboration

48 months ago

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