Philly museum features Stephen Talasnik
The Museum for Art in Wood in Philadelphia is hosting a new exhibition, “FLOE: A Climate of Risk, The Fictional Archaeology of Stephen Talasnik.”
The Museum for Art in Wood in Philadelphia is hosting a new exhibition, “FLOE: A Climate of Risk, The Fictional Archaeology of Stephen Talasnik”, through Feb. 18.
The exhibit underscores the looming effects of climate change and incorporates the use of bamboo, wood and composite materials.
“FLOE emerged from the imagination of Stephen Talasnik, an artist known worldwide for his hand-built structures installed in natural settings,” Jennifer-Navva Milliken, the museum’s executive director and chief curator, said in a statement.
“The exhibition is based on a story created by the artist but touches on the realities of climate change, a problem that exposes the vulnerability of the world’s most defenseless populations, including the impoverished, houseless, and stateless. Science helps us understand the impact through data, but the impact to humanity is harder to quantify. Stephen’s work, through his complex ‘fictional architecture’ and organic, fragmented sculptures, helps us understand this loss while encouraging us to consider the truth behind storytelling.”
In FLOE, Talasnik returns to his hometown to build a fictional narrative of a shipwreck carried to Philadelphia by a glacier. As global temperatures warmed, the glacier melted and surrounded the ship’s remains, which were discovered by a group of curious children. The centerpiece of FLOE is a monumental, large-scale sculpture made from a half mile of bent bamboo on pine wood frame.
The exhibition also includes works from the museum’s permanent collection, curated by Talasnik. Learn more at museumforartinwood.org.
This article was originally published in the February 2024 issue.
