Alex Clausen (US)
Margo's Patio, Inkjet print and enamel on paper, 22" x 22" 2005
BIO
Alex Clausen, a Bay Area native, lives and works in San Francisco. He received an MFA in Drawing and Painting in 2006 from California College of the Arts. He graduated from UC Davis in 2000 with a BA in Physics and Art. Alex is currently working at the Headlands Center for the Arts as an MFA Studio Awardee. His work is part of the de Young Museum collection, and has been shown locally at the Hardwarestore Gallery, Spanganga Gallery, and Rena Bransten Gallery. His work has also been shown at Works/San Jose and the Pulliam Deffenbaugh Gallery in Portland, Oregon.
STATEMENT
Dear Reader,
I would like to use a room in your home. I would like to go in, move some items (most likely furniture) and tie them up. All the items will be treated with the utmost care and respect, and everything will be returned to their original places. Ideally, you won't be able to tell I was even there.
Usually I work in one room. It'll take half a day, a full day at the most. I'll make sure all the ropes are clean so as not to leave marks on any items, especially fabrics. Extremely heavy items will not be moved. The items that will be used are usually those items that aid in building a particular room socially: couches, chairs and tables for example. Any items that you specify as off limits will be either be set aside outside the room or simply left in place.
The construction of the furniture structures is done to collect evidence. Drawings and painted photographs of the structures serve as clues. As a guest in your home, a dynamic is built between you and me, much of which is based on hidden or unspoken details. Social rules, expectations, assumptions, histories and anxieties build the initial framework of this interaction. The space and furniture are a stage for interaction and the clues I collect act as a visualization of the initial framework—a structure comprised of parts of you and me. By using different homes, I hope to get a clearer picture of this framework and I think your space is an ideal opportunity to continue working and to continue looking.
Thank you for your time and if you decide to participate, I look forward to hearing from you.
Sincerely,
Alex Clausen
