"Fringed Cube" By MARY-ANN MONFORTON

Approx 1 ft square wire cube tricked out with fringe

2016

In its totality, the sculptural oeuvre of Mary-Ann Monforton is a kind of rickety house of cards—bold, playful, and intuitive yet also reflective and symbolic in its allusions to the impermanence of all life and all matter, including our manmade constructions (which include art). The artist remakes stuff, mostly mundane and recognizable things, which she reimagines in shapes that are subtly awkward and cartoonish. The rendered objects or subjects—among them toys, animals, and plants—appear crooked, flawed, aging, and imperfect. The crudeness of the imitation is both inherent and desired; it lends the sculptures character and almost humanizes them. It’s easy to relate to these objects’ personalities, which Monforton affectionately refers to as “at once tender and tragic.” The artist fully embraces her creations’ “pathetic” nature, and there’s no denying that they get under our skin. No matter what the objects represent, as they stoop, droop, and surrender to gravity, they remind us of the frailty of our own existence. Catalog essay by Sabine Russ for “Sanctuary” High Noon Gallery, NYC Nic. 2020 - Sabine Russ