Description

Husk is a solo exhibition of artwork by Natalie Kuenzi that illuminates the moment between what was and what will be. A husk is the lifeless shell cast off from a one-time entity that also contains the potential for new life. It is brittle and transitory. It describes the past while containing the seed for the future.

The series consists of plastic bags crocheted into blankets made up of bold, dynamic, geometric shapes. The forms hover between absence and presence and are shaped as much by negative space as by the material. The medium, too, speaks to the subject in that it takes an environmentally hazardous byproduct of capitalist convenience and reimagines it for a new practical purpose with optimistic potential.

Kuenzi grew up in a family with a long history of creative practices such as weaving and crocheting. Despite being makers, few in her family would consider themselves artists. By producing artwork solely using the methods learned from her family, Kuenzi honors their traditions and challenges the hierarchy associated with art media, with an eye towards specific and meaningful action to address solutions for a changing world.

The form, medium, and method unite to reinforce the concept of Husk. The artwork describes the life of the past and offers a moment of reflection while pointing to a hopeful and different future.

For

Vox Populi

Date

2022