Gronsdahl, Troy

In support of Troy Gronsdahl's MFA thesis.

In support of Troy Gronsdahl's MFA thesis. From left: <i>the fact that they are not / insisted / reveal something [Art and Objecthood]</i>, 2014-15. Varied edition, 40 letterpress impressions, cloth-bound, hardcover case, 11 x 10 inches. <i>Peony root</i>, 2014, bronze, dimensions variable.

In support of Troy Gronsdahl's MFA thesis.

The social and political relevance of contemporary art is bound up in paradox. As the perceived failures of the avant-garde demonstrate, even the most radical projects of the 20th century eventually succumb to some form of institutional enfranchisement. As an artist working within an art museum, this irony is particularly acute. Given the problematic political biases of the institutions of art, how can artists elude this performative capture to exercise their agency? In response to this, artists have probed the boundaries of art practice seeking a way out. Acts of complete withdrawal, while dramatic, are not productive. Critique plays an important political function of art, yet negation on its own is not enough. There is, I think, another way: not a way out but a way in. Situated in and between modes of affirmation and dissent, my sculptures, texts and photographs work in dialogue with art world conventions to create witty and poetic meditations on art and knowledge. Through the use of humour and ambiguity, I operate strategically within dominant narratives to keep performative capture at bay. Using a methodology adapted from Deleuze and Guattari's theory of the minor, I aim to create a space of productive estrangement to call forth new subjectivities.

Full title: When the cosmos aligned, if only briefly and largely unnoticed. Equinox, total solar eclipse & perigee moon, March 20, 2015, 4:45 p.m. local time (left) Solstice, June 21, 2015, 10:38 a.m. local time, 2015.