The Aldrich Decennial: I am what is around me
The Aldrich Contemporary Museum of Art
Ridgefield
Through Jan. 10, 2027
There was not a single parking spot left at The Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum on Saturday. The museum was packed with visitors and artists for The Aldrich Decennial: I am what is around me.
This recurring showcase of artists who live and work in Connecticut will take place every ten years, featuring works created within the last decade. The Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum’s mission is to support artists at defining moments of their careers, so the featured artists haven’t had solo museum exhibitions in Connecticut.
Conceived of by Aldrich’s Diana Bowes Chief Curator Amy Smith-Stewart, the show officially launched last Sunday and will run through Sunday, Jan. 10, 2027; a catalogue will accompany the show.
A notable fact is that all of the artists have chosen to create outside of major art centers; they have faith in the strength of their work to exceed boundaries.
Of the 40 artists on display, over a quarter of them are from Greater New Haven, speaking to the city’s cultural currency. The first art piece you see on display at the museum, proudly planted on the front lawn, is by New Haven artist Kristy Hughes. Portal: Hope as Practice is a multicolored sculpture that is two bands, placed so that one edge of each circle is touching but the bands open outward. It does look like a door that will lead the viewer to a more colorful (hopefully more positive) world.
Walking into the first gallery on the ground floor, I was immediately struck by She did what she could and Jubilee by Felandus Thames (West Haven). Thousands of colored hair beads composed these wall sculptures, creating geometric patterns and lush flowers. The hair beads are a great self-referential detail because they are a staple of Black hairstyles, and the pieces depict Black women. She did what she could features the face of civil rights activist, social worker and community organizer Dorie Ladner. Jubilee depicts Dr. Margaret Walker, poet, novelist and professor. Both Walker and Ladner are not widely known, though they have done incredible work, so it was touching to see them so painstakingly rendered. It was clear that Thames spent a lot of time with both ladies.
Another arresting piece made of untraditional materials was Arewa (Elegance) by Faustin Adeniran (West Haven). Pieces of colorful aluminum cans were arrayed into a mysterious image of a woman with a golden halo, who might be a goddess or some other spiritual entity. She is placed alongside the sun and what looks like to be water and a large bird. The glittering mosaic felt full of kinetic energy; it almost looked like the subject of the portrait was about to fly off somewhere and take viewers along for the ride.
Adeniran’s art tends to feature discarded objects and found items like spoons, soda cans, and cardboard. “My personal ethos has always been, ‘If you want to learn about a society, look at what it throws away,’” said Adeniran about his work in an interview with the museum. He said he starts with a drawing before he transforms his work into 3D sculptures and collage paintings; three of which were on display at the Decennial.
Gazing at Dominic Chambers’ Magical Thinking, I felt like I was staring at myself, the lifelong bookwork constantly escaping reality. Set on an amber canvas, a woman is nestled amongst honeyed clouds reading a book. The bright pink of the book’s cover provides a striking counterpoint to the engulfing of yellow. Warmth radiates from the piece. The woman’s figure appears fractured like her spirit is leaving her body, and it almost fades into the canvas. Whatever she is reading seems to have transported her outside of herself. The haziness of the piece draws the viewer in; it feels like we are witnessing the subject’s consciousness, not just viewing her physical form.
Chambers stated in an interview with Aldrich that the painting is about the power of literature and its ability to transform our sense of self; a sentiment with which I wholeheartedly agree.
Viewing Anoka Faruqee and David Driscoll’s (Woodbridge) acrylic on linen series was a trippy experience as each piece was a prismatic optical illusion, with rich colors and tightly wound concentric lines, that appeared to be moving.The piece 2026-P-02 and its array of aqua, yellow and pink colors warmly reminded this millennial of the ancient artifact known as the CD. It seemed to pulse and shimmer on the wall. The chipping on the piece somehow enhanced its appeal. I felt pleasantly hypnotized staring at their work.
Walking around the museum’s Sculpture Garden was a similarly transfixing experience; walking while gazing upon striking art proved to be meditative. Archer by Jilaine Jones (New Haven) cut a grand, imposing figure in the garden. The rough-hewn structure almost looked like a sculpture discovered from an archaeological site, set against the greenery of the open landscape. Rather than appearing static, Archer’s beams made of concrete, steel and stone seemed to be precariously placed giving a feeling of anticipation – will they or won’t they fall? – which kept me completely engaged.
I am what is around me suggests that a place doesn’t serve as mere backdrop but rather as valuable material that shapes the senses and the imagination. The work of these Connecticut artists was not provincial in any sense. Their pieces displayed broadmindedness and inimitable interpretations of our world’s strange beauty.
To learn more about the exhibition, visit The Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum’s website.
