Found/Made is now on view at Art Complex Museum in Duxbury through January 17, 2027
I’m grateful to Guest Curator Donna Dodson and the museum team for bringing the installation together, and inspired by the other exhibiting artists, Paul Harris, Danielle Krcmar, Lisa Tang Liu, Cathy Della Lucia, Andy Moerlein, Wen-hao Tien, Alice Wu, Yu-wen Wu, and Quanzhou Zhao.
From the exhibition website:
A scholar’s rock is a naturally shaped stone traditionally collected and valued in East Asia as an object of contemplation. Throughout Asia, scholars have cultivated distinct practices: in Korea, Suseok; in Japan, Suiseki; in China, Gongshi. Collectors valued these stones for a variety of aesthetic qualities and traditions of display, not unlike a stone one might collect from a beach. Oftentimes, they are a portal or a micro-landscape that evokes a monumental one. The authentic scholars’ rocks in this exhibition, on loan from the local private collections of Kemin Hu and Timothy A. Springer, appear as contemporary abstract forms, fitting seamlessly alongside the artwork in this exhibition. Minimally altered from their natural state, these rocks challenge conventional ideas of authorship, authenticity, and the very essence of art. This group show features ten artists with cultural backgrounds from South Korea, China, Taiwan, Japan and the USA and local ties to Boston and New England: Kate Gilbert, Paul Harris, Danielle Krcmar, Lisa Tang Liu, Cathy Della Lucia, Andy Moerlein, Wen-hao Tien, Alice Wu, Yu-wen Wu, Quanzhou Zhao and is organized by guest curator Donna Dodson. Interpreting the Natural: Contemporary Visions of Scholars’ Rocks presents recent artwork by each artist in dialogue with authentic viewing stones. This contrast of traditional scholars’ rocks with contemporary interpretations encourages reflection on our enduring relationship with nature. As we face climate change and respond to the current challenges in our global society, we seek the meaning of our personal journeys in the 21st century. Contemporary art guides us in the present moment.
Still from video interview with Donna Dodson and Andy Moerlin. Full video here.