EM ROONEY
BEIJING CHINA WORLD
"BEFORE THE STORM (FOR CHRIS)", 2019 STEEL, POLYSTYRENE, FOAM COAT, BOUNCE, ENAMEL PAINT, OIL STICK, LEATHER, MAGIC SCULPT, NAIL POLISH, TWO-PART EPOXYL
EM ROONEY IS A POSTWAR & CONTEMPORARY ARTIST WHO WAS BORN IN 1983. HER WORK WAS FEATURED IN NUMEROUS EXHIBITIONS AT KEY GALLERIES AND MUSEUMS.
THIS WORK IS PART OF AN ONGOING SERIES OF WORKS BASED ON GIFT GIVING, INSPIRED BY VARIOUS HISTORIES OF GIFT GIVING IN ARTIST’S PRACTICES INCLUDING MOYRA DAVEY’S MAIL WORKS AND LUTZ BACHER’S BIRD’S NEST WORKS. BEFORE THE STORM (FOR CHRIS) IS ONE OF FOUR RELATED WORKS WHICH INCLUDE A BRACELET AND TWO PHOTOGRAPHIC WORKS IN ADDITION TO BEFORE THE STORM (FOR CHRIS). EM BEGAN THE WORK BY MAKING TWO COPIES OF THE BRACELET, A TYPE OF CHARM BRACELET WHICH INCLUDES LETTER-FORMS, A FROG’S LEG AND A FLOWER CAST IN PEWTER. ONE BRACELET WAS GIVEN TO HER HUSBAND, THE ARTIST CHRIS DOMINICK, AND THE OTHER BECAME A WORK IN THE GROUPING. THE FOUR WORKS RELATE LOOSELY TO CHRIS HIMSELF, REFERENC- ING NUMEROUS DETAILS CHRIS AND THE TIME EM SPENDS WITH HIM. THE PHOTOGRAPHS IN THE GROUP WERE TAKEN AT GUILDER POND NEAR THEIR HOME IN WEST STOCKBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS. THE TITLE OF BEFORE THE STORM (FOR CHRIS) COMES FROM AN IRIS OF THE SAME NAME WITH DEEP PURPLE, NEARLY BLACK PETALS, A PERRENIAL BULB THAT GROWS EXTENSIVELY ON THE PROPERTY THEY LIVE. THE WORK IS CONSTRUCTED OF A WELDED STEEL SKELETON WHICH CONTAINS PETALS MADE FROM VARIOUS SCULPTURAL MATERIALS HELD IN PLACE WITH BLACK LEATHER.
BEIJING BEIJING CHAOYANG
NO.1 JIANGUOMEN WAI AVENUE
SHOP L102-103 L1
100020