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ANGE ALTENHOFEN & JOSH SORRELL
November 8, 2019 - December 27, 2019
LOCATED IN THE COMMUNITY GALLERY
Ange Altenhofen
“Metaphorical function” is a term I use to describe my work, dovetailing sculptural form with the innate potential for usefulness and interaction that every three-dimensional object possesses. In this scenario function follows form, recycling art into a prosaic, functional object that is activated through touch and let loose in the world. I tend to think that inanimate objects have “souls”, or at least earn something akin to a soul as they get used more and more frequently over time.
The “Braille Series” is an ongoing body of work that references metaphorical function and incorporates Braille as a surface texture, not only to deliver information through touch, but to suggest blemishes on the skin that invite a haptic experience not unlike apes have while grooming one another. I first began using Braille text in my work after I was diagnosed with a degenerative eye condition that could eventually lead to permanent blindness. At the time of diagnosis I panicked- how does a visual artist make art without sight? This question sent me searching for answers and eventually led to creative discoveries I may never have found otherwise: understanding and revelation through physical touch and interaction with the art object itself.
Ange Altenhofen was born and raised in Chariton, Iowa. She earned a BFA in Studio Art from the University of Northern Iowa, briefly attended the University of Iowa to study art history and Italian, and earned an MFA in Sculpture and Ceramics from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Living part-time in Florence, Italy, she worked as an apprentice to puppeteer Rocco Cosentino, and as the assistant director and student advisor for an international art academy, Arte Sotto un Tetto. Since 1993, Ange has lived predominantly in Chicago, exhibiting her artwork both nationally and internationally including galleries and museums in Tel Aviv, Vienna, Florence, Chicago, and New York. She is also an established costume designer and has worked for numerous theater companies in Chicago, co-founding the costume performance company DeCorps Costume Collective in 2001. Most recently she has worked as a published archaeological illustrator for the Oriental Institute at the University of Chicago, drawing artifacts from archaeological sites in Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Syria, and Israel. In 2015 Ange returned to Iowa to write and illustrate a
children’s book that she hopes to publish in 2019.
Josh Sorrell
I paint to explore human nature within our current social structures. The subjects of my work examine how our experiences affect our fragile identity.
Josh Sorrell, an Iowa native, produces representational artwork altered by abstract elements. Using oil or charcoal as the preferred medium, Josh examines themes of
personal and cultural significance while also attempting to draw a new perspective from accepted ideas. Subjects are often presented within a surreal atmosphere meant to strengthen its impact. This focus on combining both real and imaginary components allow the viewer to create their own unique interpretation.
