“Ordinary” is an exhibition highlighting the ordinary through subject matter and use of materials. The exhibition, which is on view at Art Works Downtown in San Rafael, CA March 1 through April 12, is curated by Mara Heilweil and includes the work of Professor Imin Yeh, Tana Quincy Arcega, Irene Carvajal, Victoria Mara Heilweil, Dana Hemenway, Sarah Newton, Jenny Philips, and Chris Thorson.
The antithesis of the spectacular, familiar objects bring art down to human scale and into the intimacy of daily life. Marcel Duchamp first championed the use of mass produced, utilitarian objects in his readymade artwork in the early 20th century, and has continued to influence nearly a century of artists that have followed him, each pushing the boundaries of what is considered to be art and how it could be created. Decades later, feminist artists continued with these ideas, often taking ordinary objects from the domestic realm as material for their art. These artists highlighted unseen labor, and incorporated their everyday life as rituals for their artwork. “Ordinary” features eight female artists who work with these concepts in their art and process.