Manifest Absence
MANIFEST ABSENCE - CURATED BY MELISSA JOSEPH
MANIFEST ABSENCE
Curated by Melissa Joseph | Works from the Dieu Donné Collection
Opening Reception: Wednesday, November 15, 5:30 - 7:30 PM at Dieu Donné
Dieu Donné is pleased to present Manifest Absence, an exhibition curated by Melissa Joseph of handmade paper artworks from the Dieu Donné collection. Featuring work by: LaKela Brown, Elisa D'Arrigo, E.V. Day, Carl Hazlewood, Matthew Kirk, Howardena Pindell, Lina Puerta, Brie Ruais, Michael Schall, Arlene Shechet, Mary Temple, Ursula von Rydingsvard, Nari Ward, Chuck Webster, and Paul Wong.
"What does it mean to erase? Is it even possible? The act of “erasing” exerts such energy, friction, concentrated focus and attention that it becomes hyper-visible. It’s as if the more effort put into the erasure, the more indelible the original mark feels. The opposite of absence, it’s an active presence. When confronted with the traces of past actions, what are we responding to? Grief, Loss, Struggle, Failure, Avoidance, Shame, Nostalgia?
I am a scavenger of nuance and ambiguity, and I am most at peace when faced with open-endedness and pluralities. This show and these works comprise an album from my most recent trip to the edge."
––Melissa Joseph
ABOUT THE CURATOR
Melissa Joseph is a New York based artist and independent curator. Her work considers themes of memory, family history, and the politics of how we occupy spaces. She intentionally alludes to the labors of women as well as experiences as a second generation American and the unique juxtapositions of diasporic life. Her work has been shown at the Delaware Contemporary, Woodmere Art Museum, Utah Museum of Contemporary Art, Brattleboro Museum and Art Center, Jeffrey Deitch Projects, MOCA Arlington and List Gallery at Swarthmore College. She has been featured in Hyperallergic, Artnet, New American Paintings, Le Monde, CNN, and Architectural Digest and participated in residencies including Dieu Donné, Fountainhead, the Archie Bray Foundation for Ceramic Arts, the Museum of Arts and Design and upcoming at Greenwich House Pottery in 2024. She is a regular contributor to BOMB magazine.