POLINA MILIOU
Critters of Burden, 2023
Colored paper pulp, wood, extruded polystyrene foam
21 x 43 x 12 inches each, seat height: 14 1/2 inches
Friends Artspace presents Benediction, an exhibition that brings together the work of Anna Aagaard Jensen, Bailey Scieszka, Carl Durkow, Duyi Han, Lane Walkup, Malcolm Majer, Polina Miliou, and Trey Jones.
Visitors have remarked that Friends evokes the feeling of visiting a chapel: meditative and serene with a steep gabled roof. Benediction, leans into the sense of a sacred space. With this framework, seven artists are invited to create pairs of benches to be displayed across a center aisle. Here, benches are egalitarian and versatile; they invite people to sit communally without prescribing how many or in which direction. Bailey Scieszka has further adorned the space with her pop iconography, which gives a camp spin on religious portraiture.
photo credit: Ethan Hickerson