2018: Michael Hull
Emerging Artist Award
The 2018 Emerging Artist was chosen from the applicants to the So Fresh + So Clean student exhibition and awarded $1000.
Jury
Student Committee: Taylor Zarkades King, Anne Bujold, Everett Hoffman, Megan Wachs, Haiyin Liang
Guest Juror: Curtis Arima
Artist Bio:
Michael Hull received a Bachelor of Fine Art degree at Indiana University of Pennsylvania (IUP), Indiana, PA in 2018.
Artist Statement:
My work is a response to the state of the world around me, specifically late-capitalism and the materials of the Anthropocene. Wastefulness abounds in this society built on convenience and commerce, and as a result there are excessive amounts of resources being discarded into landfills, oceans, and the spaces in which we live. In the streets, I find metal tobacco lids, bottle caps, and other rubbish, which I manipulate into forms representing the trash that is ever-present in the landscape. These “icons” of trash function as wearable jewelry objects, meant to be worn as badges of identity.
I also use these discarded metals to make more traditional objects of adornment, adding value and function to otherwise worthless materials. These brooches represent my anti-consumerist mentality, and are meant to question the perception of value. Ultimately, with my work I hope to raise awareness about the excess and waste of American consumerism.
Responsibility Statement:
As an emerging artist, I’m fascinated by how my artistic practice impacts the perception of objects and how materials are sourced for making objects. By using found and recycled trash metals, I’m concerned with bringing awareness to the abundance of waste caused from consumer products. Through using these found materials I’m able to challenge my practice by adapting traditional metalsmithing techniques and processes to create.
