Shiny Monster: An Installation by Adam Wallacavage opens tomorrow night at the
Philadelphia Art Alliance. Looking forward to seeing his chandeliers all over the place!
Thursday, May 17th, 6-8pm
Philadelphia Art Alliance
251 South 18th Street
Philadelphia, PA 19103
More info from Philadelphia Art Alliance's
Facebook event page:
Inspired
by the Gothic interiors of now-closed Catholic churches he visited
throughout Philadelphia, Adam Wallacavage channeled his fascination with
chandeliers by creating Jules Verne-inspired lighting for the dining room in his Victorian brownstone. To construct these o
ctopus
sculptures, Wallacavage taught himself the traditional techniques of
ornamental plastering, which includes large-cast plaster work and
hand-sculpted pieces from epoxy-clay. Those initial sculptures
inspired Wallacavage to continue to experiment in form, color, and
technique, even developing his own unique glazes and application
technique to give his pieces a unique vibrant shimmer.
More
recently, Wallacavage has added his love of kitsch to his sculptures.
Casts of cartoon bunnies and elephants, Hello Kitty heads, and vintage
toys are incorporated into his pieces, which are then covered in bright
glazes in shades such as bubble-gum pink and mint green. The resulting
sculptures reflect his varied aesthetic interests, ranging from 16th
Century Baroque opulence to 1940s Americana. For his first solo
exhibition in Philadelphia, Wallacavage will take inspiration from his
lavishly decorated home by presenting several new chandeliers within
each gallery.
