Thoroughfair is rooted in childhood, as a series spawning from someone who utterly adored “things that go” and is still both calmed and exhilarated by movement and transition. The interactions between receding, intersecting, and colliding forms have always dominated my memories of different places, whether that be the chaotic roads, or thoroughfares, within a Los Angeles freeway system, refracted rays of light on Florentine buildings, or a network of beams supporting a Baltimore bridge. Thoroughfair, dancing in the crossroads of abstraction and representation, encourages reflection about the role that transitional places have in our lives and celebrates the inexplicable fascinations and passions of our youthful selves.
An undercurrent of satire lurks within the series, challenging the status of craft and humor as aspects of “low-culture” art and poking fun at conventional ways of displaying and viewing art. The works take a humanistic approach to abstraction, arguing that art cannot transcend or avoid absurdity and indulgence if it wants to reflect humanity. By fusing geometric abstraction with playful touches of realism, craft, and interactive elements, Thoroughfair removes the median strip between art and the self, instead encouraging ludic engagement and collective play.
