“Iris Eichenberg, often described as a “post-disciplinary artist,” works in a variety of mediums, selecting materials whose properties are best suited to explore a given concept or sensibility. The material itself is central to her process. Trained as a metalsmith, Eichenberg’s work ranges from conceptual jewelry, sculptural objects, textiles, pottery, and large-scale installations through which she examines identity, gender, heritage, domesticity, the body, and social justice issues.
The exhibition title refers to the French philosopher Gaston Bachelard’s concept of topoanalysis, introduced in his 1958 book "The Poetics of Space." Defined as "the systematic psychological study of the sites of our intimate lives," topoanalysis postulates that places, such as houses, often become sites of intimacy and attachment, leading to the experience of nostalgia when revisited or remembered. Memories of the house and its various parts are entwined with the present, an essential part of our ongoing current experience.”
Growing up in a farmhouse in Germany, Eichenberg’s family made and sewed everything themselves. This tradition is evidenced in fine stitching while allowing buttonholes and frayed edges from clothes worn by loved ones to contribute to a marker for familial roots rather than practical employment. A barely visible tiny red line affords the only color beyond the monochrome.
A friend’s 70-year-old walnut tree had sustained severe enough damage it had to be taken down. This opportunity provided both a conscientious repurposing of materials as well as preserving intimacies with both the tree and the friendship. The artist processed the tree on site producing the lengths of wood that became several works in this exhibition. A delicate chain swoops across the wall balancing the stacked houses despite the visual and physical difference in weight.
Installed in the center of the gallery is a droopy tent seemingly erected in haste casting a charcoal shadow onto the adjacent wall. A brooch carefully pinned to the linen gable on one side signals a home site contradicting perceived carelessness.
I was delightfully surprised by these offerings as I had anticipated the minimal, metal sculptures I’ve grown accustomed to seeing from Eichenberg. These works echo those simple but powerful shapes in familiar clean lines and master craftsmanship but read notably softer in both palette and materials. Each mindfully constructed piece resonates warmly with this artist’s foundational connections in family and culture.
"How can I overcome the first associations with the material? How can I take a material and transform it, in the sense that it becomes? That process of becoming is my favorite spot… I’m a great believer in the finishedness of the unfinished."—Iris Eichenberg
On view through November 4th at David Klein Gallery 1520 Washington, Detroit
*images are mine
direct quote from gallery materials
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