Rubus Discolor Project is pleased to present A small domestic crisis., a two-person exhibition featuring works by Brittany V Wilder and Samuel Wildman. The show runs from October 4 - November 1, 2020 and is open by appointment only.
Surrounded by a house in a state of disrepair, artists Brittany V Wilder and Samuel Wildman bring an idea of domesticity to a point of crisis utilizing different means.
In found sculptures anchored by broken cups and mirrors, Brittany V Wilder constructs monuments to the kind of domestic purposes that these pieces can no longer serve. Once broken, these objects are freed from their utilitarian usage. Wilder makes no attempt to fix these objects, choosing to work with them in their altered forms. With the addition of text and photographs this collection of broken objects questions the ideas of artifice and authenticity from multiple points of view.
As a handyman and caretaker, Samuel Wildman lives in a world of quick fixes, deferred maintenance, and not enough sleep. At Rubus Discolor Project, his usually hidden fixes are made visible through the absurd application of his reparative skills. A stone is used to mend a cracked stud. A fountain is created with a faucet mounted on a kitchen drawer, the water landing in a subway tiled paper bag with a drain, the word “Safeway” rendered strange in such a precious position. By uniting incongruent systems, Wildman creates openings for failure and revision while challenging the existing systems that are a feature of our day to day experience.
Brittany V Wilder is a visual artist who works primarily with photography. She also spends a lot of her time in her studio, playing around with salt, glue, paper, and flowers. Themes emerging from her most recent works include grief, desire, and identity. Her work more broadly deals with the nature of memory, perception, and narrative. Text-based narrative, self-portraiture, and personal documentation play a large role in her art practice. She currently works in her studio in the Yale Union building in SE Portland. She received a BFA from the Oregon College of Art and Craft (RIP) in 2013.
Samuel Wildman is a reader, writer, and artist living in Portland, Oregon. He is a passionate and frequent collaborator with numerous artists, organizations, and community members. He has received grants from 4Culture, SDOT, and City of Seattle Arts and Culture, and has been awarded residences at Ox-Bow School of Art and Artist Residency, Sou'wester Arts Week, Signal Fire, MADArt, and others. His work has been mentioned in Sculpture Magazine, The Seattle Times, the Stranger, Metropolitan Living, and the Portland Mercury.