Portland, Ore – Continuing her work centered on the production of uncanny and unnerving contemporary photography and sculpture, artist Wendy Given will present an installation at the Portland Building that employs three interactive sculptures designed to usher the viewer towards a face-to-face encounter with themselves. The three works, a “true mirror,” a wishing well mounted at inaccessible height, and a modern representation of a “scrying stone” (akin to a crystal ball for fortune telling), will work together to shuttle the viewer through a set of conceptual reexaminations and offer a chance to reconsider personal aspirations and wishes.
Guided by natural philosophy, history, folklore, myth and magic, Given’s work conjures the notion of interconnectedness and pushes viewers to expand their understanding of how they are seen in the world and consider where they might be headed next.
“Mirrors and wishes have been repeatedly represented and studied throughout the histories of art and literature. Both have elusive, mysterious, and magical traits…I want the work to occupy a place or feeling of familiarity with the viewer, it can be unsettling and at the same time comforting, a humorous position and intense recognition or premonition.”
About the Artist: Wendy Given received her BFA at The Atlanta College of Art; her MFA from Otis College of Art and Design in Los Angeles, she now lives and works here in Portland. She has shown her work locally and nationally and has completed multiple artist residencies on the West Coast, including a 2013 Signal Fire Alpenglow residency in the Mt. Hood Wilderness, and a Caldera Residency in Sisters, Oregon in 2010. To explore her work further visit www.wendygiven.com.
Viewing Hours & Location: The Portland Building is located at 1120 SW 5th Avenue in downtown Portland and is open 8 am to 5 pm, Monday – Friday.
For more information on the Portland Building Installation Space series, including images, proposals, and statements for all the installations since 1994, go to www.racc.org/installationspace.