Myrrha: An exhibition of collaborative works with Forrest Hudes
On view April 1 - May 6, 2023 at I.M.Weiss Gallery in Detroit, MI
Born from an instinctive pairing, Myrrha brings together the work of Katie Shulman and Forrest Hudes. Beyond a simple collaboration, Shulman and Hudes engage two distinct materials to create a shared language.
Through the literal intertwining of wood and fiber, the formal/visual language of each object conveys the physical reality of its materials and their nuanced relationship, ultimately, becoming a metaphor for the human body.
Engaging their respective materials in this way, Shulman and Hudes challenge our perception of the often opposed disciplines of fiber art and woodworking. Using their visceral, direct visual language, Shulman and Hudes create objects that challenge false perceptions of the physical realities of the human body. As a system created by humans, society and other structures (such as legislation and media) are synthetic, often not looking beyond the exterior surface or the shell, disregarding the physical reality of the human body, ignoring the interior, or quite literally the ‘guts’. The physical truth of what it means to be human can become warped as systems evolve and, without realizing it, our social reality becomes in many ways a myth. So, it is fitting that the exhibition title comes from an ancient Greek myth: the story of Myrrha.
Though traditionally told as a parable about the dangers of womens’ sexuality, the myth of Myrrha can be seen through contemporary eyes as the story of a young woman who is criminalized for becoming pregnant. Myrrha is chased out of her home, alone with an unwanted pregnancy, the gods turn her into a myrrh tree, either as punishment or protection. From within her arboreal tomb she weeps for all eternity, her tears manifest as sap seeping from the tree. It is the physicality of Myrrha’s sap tears emanating from the tree that inspired both the formal language and the choreographic process of how this shared body of work was produced. In the ancient world sap from a myrrh tree was more valuable than gold and for Shulman and Hudes, so is the story of Myrrha, and the Myrrha that is in every woman from ancient times to our current age.
Works include sculpture, furniture and other decorative art objects. The exhibition will be on view in the gallery April 1 - May 6, 2023.
-Isabelle Weiss, Gallery Director
Photography by Monique Ross
