Work by Louisiana artist Cody Arnall has been at Pulaski Tech since last November, according to a news release I just got today announcing a gallery talk and closing reception at 10 a.m. next Wednesday, Jan. 26. Better late than never! The exhibit is in Pulaski Tech’s Bank of the Ozarks Gallery in its Ottenheimer Library.
The release says the show features three prints and six sculptures made of domestic, industrial and commonplace objects, “many of which Arnall finds at thrift stores.”
The gallery is open 7:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 7:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Friday and 7:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Saturday.
An artist statement I googled up:
While exploring the area I live, work and study in, I take the opportunity to collect things that others have discarded. I am drawn to particular objects. These things are humdrum in the sense that they are typically over looked or easily replaced, but their contexts and uses are socially occupied enough that when the unfamiliar and the unexpected is forced on them they become curious. I consider these qualities when I manipulate and begin to assemble formal associations with these objects.
With care, I recycle these objects; deconstruct, repaint, refinish, rework, bend, cut, and reassemble them in new ways. I work quickly, not afraid to attack and make ‘mistakes.’ I constantly flip these objects over and over during construction. I do this to channel a sense of spontaneity and movement in the pieces I create. I also seek to unify the surface of these objects by layered paint, in order to push a sense of ambiguity and curiosity that viewers can engage in.