Artist: Liz Magor
Exhibition title: Style
Venue: Susan Hobbs, Toronto, Canada
Date: September 9 – October 14, 2023
Photography: all images copyright and courtesy of the artist and Susan Hobbs, Toronto
Liz Magor’s sculptural work explores the ontology of familiar objects and the belief that all objects are subject to change, including those we choose to live with and wear. And although everything deteriorates at different speeds over time, what can alter quickly is our interest in them. These things that are made, used, and discarded persist, sometimes even longer than we do. Once free from our utility and demands, there is room for them to fulfill their own narratives. In quieting down our desires, there is space for objects to reveal what is latent. Through this process, they emerge re-contextualized, their material presence generating different responses.
In Style, Liz Magor gathers a collection of vintage textiles, garments, and objects that have been discarded and damaged by moths. Placing them in the gallery space, they are no longer garments but art objects. A tactic that ensures they will be cared for and given the freedom to continue their cycle of being.
Liz Magor, Style, 2023, exhibition view, Susan Hobbs, Toronto
Liz Magor, Style, 2023, exhibition view, Susan Hobbs, Toronto
Liz Magor, Overcoat, 2023, wool garment, polymerized gypsum, plywood, wire, polyfibre moths, 112 x 43 x 58.5 cm
Liz Magor, Overcoat, 2023, wool garment, polymerized gypsum, plywood, wire, polyfibre moths, 112 x 43 x 58.5 cm
Liz Magor, Jumpers (dark), 2023, wool garments, textile figures, plywood, wire, polyfibre moths, 114.5 x 56 x 73.5 cm
Liz Magor, Jumpers (dark), 2023, wool garments, textile figures, plywood, wire, polyfibre moths, 114.5 x 56 x 73.5 cm
Liz Magor, Jumpers (dark), 2023, wool garments, textile figures, plywood, wire, polyfibre moths, 114.5 x 56 x 73.5 cm
Liz Magor, Good Grace, 2018, wool, polyfibre moths, various textiles, 396 x 38 x 48 cm
Liz Magor, Good Grace, 2018, wool, polyfibre moths, various textiles, 396 x 38 x 48 cm
Liz Magor, Turtleneck (red), 2023, cashmere garments, plywood, wire, polyfibre moths, 106.5 x 51 x 35.5 cm
Liz Magor, Jumpers (light), 2023, wool garments, textile figures, plywood, wire, polyfibre moths, 119.5 x 48.5 x 61 cm
Liz Magor, Pencil Skirt, 2023, wool garments, textile figures, plywood, wire, polyfibre moths, 112 x 51 x 33 cm
Liz Magor, Pencil Skirt, 2023, wool garments, textile figures, plywood, wire, polyfibre moths, 112 x 51 x 33 cm