Alyson Provax
something nameless
June 4 - 30, 2019
Letterpress artist Alyson Provax has created a new body of work to be installed on billboards and bus benches as something nameless, a temporary public art project spanning the Portland metro area in the month of June. This work is for viewing on daily commutes, and also a reason to explore the city.
something nameless takes as its theme feelings of uncertainty and ambiguity - contradicting the purpose of the advertising space that is the medium of the project. The work invites viewers to reconsider their own experience with the city’s landscape and of being in public spaces. It builds on Provax’s Seattle billboard works made for A LONE (curated by Vignettes and Mount Analogue) last year. The works in something nameless continue this exploration of the experience of being alone in a city, and of finding temporary art pieces in our everyday routine.
Alyson Provax works with brief, poetic phrases that directly or indirectly relate to interior, personal experiences. Her letterpress at its original small scale bring a physical intimacy to the viewing experience. A different form of intimacy comes from the larger scale and public placement of this work: the viewer finds the work in an open, public space by searching their environment.
All locations are accessible by Trimet, and can also be seen by car, on foot, or by bike. Paper maps will be available at Wolff Gallery (2804 SE Ankeny) and Belmont Books (3415 SE Belmont). A link to the public online map is below.
something nameless is funded in part by a grant from the Regional Arts & Culture Council, and the artist thanks them for their support.
Location Map: https://bit.ly/2FWotRI
Alyson Provax is an artist interested in language, feelings and memory. She has shown in Portland at Wolff Gallery and Upfor, in Vancouver at Archer Gallery, in Seattle at Bridge Productions, The Vestibule, SPAC Gallery and Mount Analogue, in New York at The Untitled Space and A.I.R. Gallery and internationally at the Blueproject Foundation in Barcelona. She is currently working on a publication project that will be released with Volumes Volumes this autumn.