FANTASTICALLY ELEVATED ADOPTED REALITIES
WRONG WAY | REPURPOSED PARACHUTE
FANTASTICALLY ELEVATED ADOPTED REALITIES
CURATED BY ELAINE YANG
DECEMBER 8 THROUGH DECEMBER 31ST
~
ADDRESS | 1206 MAPLE AVE LA CA | SUITE 546
FANTASTICALLY ELEVATED ADOPTED REALITIES
Considering the infinite scope of existence, there are only little slices of reality that we comprehend. One theory we undoubtedly accept to be true is that every action has an equal and opposite reaction. A perpetual, opposing force remains constant in nature. One way we face this governing law is through agency, the part of the self that contends with power. Regardless of our inherent capabilities, expression (the externalization of the self) is inevitably in relation with forces beyond our choosing. For her current solo exhibition, Fantastically Elevated Adopted Realities, Los Angeles artist Finnley J. Kirkman recasts the symbols of traffic cones, public signs, and survival gear to reflect on the way we respond to these forces.
Though we may forget about the omnipresent opposing force, it nevertheless guides our every action. It can be called survival instinct, self-preservation, or self-consciousness, but power—both internal and external—consistently prompts us to weigh risks against rewards. Fantastically Elevated Adopted Realities invites careful attention to the way power dynamics are often overlooked. Taking the negotiation of power beyond transactional terms, Kirkman invites us to consider selfhood on the axis of fear and comfort. How might absent-mindedness or passive acceptance undermine our agency? When, how, and to whom do we surrender power?
Employing the customary materials of cast stoneware, hand-sculpted porcelain, and sourced fabrics alongside repurposed fishers' rope, pulleys, parachutes, and life vests, the multidisciplinary artist's installation spans free-standing, wall-based, and suspended sculptures and fiber works. Stoneware sculptures mirroring the contours, scale, and colors of commonplace traffic cones are positioned, just as their representative objects, upon the gallery floor. The clinical orange and white hues take a luscious turn on the walls. Plush soft sculptures, fashioned using an armature of repurposed life vests, hang from porcelain dock cleats. 'Lux cuddle,' 'mohair fur,' 'shaggy faux fur,' and 'orange plush' fabrics briefly contrast against select camo-patterned life vests. Their soft, yielding forms relax their weight from the dock cleats like a sigh. Across the gallery's opposing wall, stitched and painted textiles are composed into traffic signs. Yield, Wrong Way, No U Turn, Stop, Do Not Enter—these fiber works are constructed from aerial and sea parachutes. With additional parachute and cone sculptures suspended from above, the floor, walls, and ceiling alike activate each surface of the gallery, as our bodies move through the remaining space.
The artist has carefully selected these symbolic objects both for their instructive nature and for the way they materialize fear and comfort. Each symbol prompts a specific action when encountered. Signs and cones alter our trajectory, while parachutes and life-vests protect us from extreme heights and depths, thereby exploring comfort and fear across earth, air, and water. Life vests and parachutes encompass the conflicting forces between both the pursuit and fear of the unknown. On terrain, signs and traffic cones serve to shield from dangerous environments, yet they also may render otherwise safe public spaces inaccessible. By employing porcelain and stoneware, the artist not only hints at personal space but also delves into the realm of the psyche. Depending on the table settings, the power dynamics of a meal shift considerably. Throughout the exhibition, there is a tension in the juxtaposition of these symbols and the signals. Parachutes are transformed into restrictive signs, dictating and constraining movement. Traffic cones signal alarm through the humble material of stoneware, while cozy life vests hang suspended in the delicate and classed material of porcelain. This interplay models the matrix of power and agency; the presumption of a simple linear spectrum is incompatible with these pairings.
Beyond indicating the complexity of power, Kirkman’s material process of disassembly and reassembly dissolves these depersonalized symbols of power into a creative expression from the individual self. In recasting these symbols, she spotlights our role in grappling with opposing forces, embracing the power we retain within the dynamics. Engulfed by the installation—both physically within the architectural space and symbolically through the invocation of earth, water, and air—Kirkman underscores our ceaseless engagement with power by intermittently altering the placement of the cones within the exhibition. Sometimes obstructing the hallway to the gallery, she underscores the profound influence wielded by these seemingly impersonal objects. Even in inconsequential settings, we hesitate to disobey the cone.
In this gesture, Fantastically Elevated Adopted Realities restates its fundamental inquiry: When, how, and to whom do we yield power? Ultimately, the focus isn't on a prescribed 'right' approach, but rather on the offering of courage, presence, and vulnerability as tools to navigate fear. Courage, being the place between comfort and fear, prompts self-reflection: What am I willing to compromise in comfort in order to step into fear? The outcome will vary—success or setback. Where do I stand and how much am I willing to risk to step somewhere different?
TEXT: Golzar Yousefi
PHOTOS: Mason Kuehler
SPECIAL THANKS…. to my extremely talented family - my ceramicist brother Mikael Kirkman who advised with the cones. My mom (Sandy Miller) and Aunty Sue Aahl with assistance sewing the life vest! My cousin Kelsey Boxser with installing the show. :-)