Art Hound

I’m a little late on this one… this exhibit at The Hogar Collection unfortunately ended April 5th. However, I still wanted to share the work of Michelle Forsyth, which explores the subjects of memories and loss. Over and Over, Michelle’s exhibit at Hogar, consists of images extracted from modern-day sites of historical disasters such as the Tacoma Narrows Bridge Collapse of 1940.

What’s also interesting about Michelle’s work is that while it feels familiar, it is, at other times, totally disorienting. From a distance Forsyth’s work reads as landscapes and flowers. No big deal. But as you get closer the work turns abstract and you realize that what looked like a painting is actually an intricate collage of pieces of fabric, paper and beads either sewn or held together with dressmaker’s pins.

Pretty cool, right? And it’s hard not to appreciate the time and attention to detail that goes into Michelle’s work. I also like that it can be appreciated on many layers: for its aesthetics, its creative and laborious use of materials or its unique representation of  memories as both fragmented and interconnected. It’s all there for the taking.