Constructed from unexpected combinations of handmade and found objects, Allison Wade’s tenuous sculptural works consider the intersection of flatness and form. Her practice relies heavily on balance and tension to explore the structural contingencies of where, and how, elements meet. These formal explorations shape Wade’s singular, idiosyncratic visual language, one that investigates the play between two and three dimensions and the connection between spatial and social relationships.
Wade’s process is closely allied with language and writing. Using a grammatical approach to making, she creates highly edited works that function as words, sentences, paragraphs, and stanzas arranged in physical space. Intended to be read as a collection of short stories, where each sculpture is stylistically related to the others yet remains self-sufficient, Wade’s installation appraises the relationship between individual and group, part and whole.
Image: Allison Wade, Note to Self (Purple), 2019; aluminum, paint, mesh, and cedar; 76 x 38 x 13 1/2 in. Courtesy of the artist. Photo: Allison Wade.
