Past Exhibitions: 2009

UMMA Projects: Heather Rowe

October 17, 2009 through January 3, 2010

Heather Rowe in conversation with Emily Michels, UMMA Student Program and Advisory Board member

Heather Rowe (b. 1970, New Haven, CT) produces hybrid constructions whose aesthetic frisson stems from her (or their) refusal to adhere to the norms of any one discipline. Located at the intersection of sculpture, architecture, and installation, these works often focus on transitional spaces such as corridors, stud-walls, windows and doorways. Interior and exterior space collapse into one another as the raw materials of construction—modular units of drywall, lumber, glass, and metal—are combined with more decorative elements. Interstitial spaces often reveal swatches of carpet or wallpaper, while shards of mirror incorporate the surrounding space in a fragmented patchwork of reflections. Rowe’s spatial practice builds on the legacy of architecturally inclined works by artists Bruce Nauman, Robert Smithson, and Gordon Matta-Clark, as well as a deep appreciation for the architecture of Bruno Taut, Peter Eisenman, and Paul Rudolph. For her exhibition at UMMA, Rowe has created a new sculptural installation, which as with all of her work, will be conceived of and installed in close dialogue with the architectural setting.

This project is made possible in part by the University of Michigan Office of the President and UMMA’s New Visions Venture Fund.

Something Crossed the Mind (Embellished Three Times)
2008
plywood, drywall, wallpaper, mirror, and molding
216 x 87 x 96 inches
Courtesy of the artist and D’Amelio Terras, New York

Plans That Have Fallen Through
2006
glass, wood, flocked wallpaper, partial plan for Bruno Taut Glashaus (1914)
Table: 72 x 84 x 41 inches; Drawing: 72 x 72 inches
Courtesy of the artist and D’Amelio Terras, New York

On Returning
2007
steel, stucco, sheetrock, found window frames and door frames, shag carpet, wood, mirror, glass, hinge and curtain
dimensions variable
Courtesy of the artist and D’Amelio Terras, New York

The Space Above the Ceiling
2008
wood, mirror, ceiling tile, paint
dimensions variable
Courtesy of the artist and D’Amelio Terras, New York

Untitled (screen #1)
2006
metal studs, wood, tape, and glass
82 x 42 x 28 inches
Courtesy of the artist and D’Amelio Terras, New York

The Stationmaster’s Wife
2005
sintra, sheetrock, found metal door frames, one way mirror, fur, wood, found coffee table legs dimensions variable
Courtesy of the artist and D’Amelio Terras, New York

Green Desert
2006
floor boards, glass, mirror, sheetrock, found frames, and shag carpet
67 x 248 x 88 inches
Courtesy of the artist and D’Amelio Terras, New York