Fugue is a sculptural installation that materializes the artists’ shared and individual experiences of living through the COVID-19 global pandemic. Comprised of a large 6’ x 18’ suspended collaborative quilt made up of three 6” x 6” panels, the artists have deployed muted tones of blues/greys/blacks combined with abstract patterns to narrate their personal stories of living through such haunting conditions throughout the last two years. Both literally and figuratively, the installation invokes many meanings of “fugue”–fugue as metaphor for the artists’ mental/emotional states during the pandemic, fugue as a formal principle of design, fugue as a form of psychological disassociation wherein one’s senses are compromised, and lastly fugue as the musical composition based on imitation and repetition.

Dating back to the 12^th Century, quilts are typically associated with the home, domesticity, and feelings of coziness and comfort. Politically quilts reference women’s traditional creative practices that 20^th Century feminist scholars have framed as examples of collective activism that blur the boundaries between fine arts and craft. In the installation, the quilt also translates into a materialization of survival; recalling the heaviness of the pandemic, the quilt symbolizes both the comfort and care needed during months of lockdowns as well invokes the specter of being smothered by that which should be cozy. Reminiscent of a three-dimensional topographical map suspended inside the gallery, Fugue also invites audiences to reflect on the landscape of their pandemic experience and on the ways they comforted themselves through this challenging time.

EVENTS

Opening Reception: Thursday, January 26th, 5:30 – 8:30 PM

Artist Talk: Thursday, March 2^nd, 12:30 – 1:20 PM