The Tamesis
Cianciolo said that when she selected her participants, which included past collaborators, former and current students, she looked around her house and asked “‘Who are the artists living with us? Let me start here’… ‘What designers do I like that might be hard for people to get access to?'” I focused on everything. [being] It’s also a one-off, so there’s a thread between everything. “Some artists drew objects from their archives, others created works for OAF. When asked what brief she gave her collaborators, Cianciolo replied: “I said I was curating a stall in the spirit of the 2001 Run Store. This surreal shop takes place in an abandoned storefront… but it is also a performance that includes my own interior decoration. “
The word “outsider” is often used to describe Cianciolo’s work, often as a synonym for independence. The artist never worries about fitting into any particular box, the joy she feels has to do with (re)connection. “It’s fun, working with artists who are all so wild and different and interesting,” she muses. “[I’m] I was also reminded that these are the things I hold dear in my life as an artist. “
Nostalgia is an important part of any revitalization project. Cianciolo said she has traveled down memory lane, but only a little, because she sees this version of Run Store as a new adventure, with elements of the past moved into the present. Outside Cianciolo’s real home and the comfortable environment she created at OAF, life is fraught with worries. Is it possible to resonate between then and now? Cianciolo thinks there is. The “energy of love” is the glue that connects those present and those who have passed away. “I personally feel like what we can capture right now is the word, the love, the feeling, the energy. I would say that’s what this project is about.”
The Outsider Art Fair will be held at the Met from March 19-22.
Kathy Burns, gown
Photo: Courtesy of Outsider Art Fair
Photo: Courtesy of Outsider Art Fair
