The Institute for Contemporary Art in San Francisco has launched an intriguing exhibition featuring ‘alchemized’ art crafted from everyday items such as toothpaste caps, zip ties, broken computer keys, and perfume spray tubes.
We had the chance to speak with renowned artist Miguel Arzabe, whose journey in the art world has been quite inspiring. He recalls visiting various art shows across the U.S. as a young artist, but it was the exhibit catalogues that truly captivated him. “I was fascinated by those documents,” he shared. “That’s what inspired me to create my own artwork using the books themselves.”
Arzabe took pages from these catalogues, cutting them into thin strips, which he then intricately wove into a large Andean tapestry titled Last Weaving, completed in 2018. “It’s a timeless piece,” he declared. His previous works included tapestries made from used movie posters and old pamphlets. Although he initially struggled to find buyers, his unique blend of ancient patterns with contemporary materials ultimately found its audience.
Now, Last Weaving is set to hang from the ceiling of the ICA, part of The Poetics of Dimensions exhibition, which showcases art made entirely from found and discarded objects. Curator Larry Ossei-Mensah noted, “These are all materials we recognize, but the artists have alchemized them to provoke thoughts on consumerism and the ability of art to breathe new life into discarded items.”
Ossei-Mensah collaborated closely with the museum’s director, Alison Gass, over several months to bring this exhibition to fruition. Originally intended for a former school gym in Dogpatch, the museum received a last-minute offer for a new space in a downtown building, known as The Cube, a former bank that has now become a hub for such innovative displays.
Gass emphasized the goal of the exhibition: “We want to help viewers navigate the world through artistic practice.” As artworks were being unpacked, she pointed to a striking abstract painting by Anthony Akinbola, crafted entirely from carefully stitched durags.
The exhibition challenges perceptions of desirability and shines a light on the often-overlooked efforts of waste collectors, revealing the global waste supply chain. One notable piece is a nearly life-sized depiction by artist Hugo McCloud, portraying a woman in a pink coat weighed down by a load on her back. McCloud’s travels have inspired his work, where he collected plastic sacks from around the world to showcase their multi-functional uses. He meticulously cut and pressed these plastic pieces onto canvas to create powerful visual statements.
As McCloud puts it, “I am concerned with social inequality, and through my art, I want to expose what we tend to ignore.” He aims to foster conversations that allow viewers to confront uncomfortable truths.
Arzabe’s work, in its own way, is a response to the tech boom in the Bay Area. “So much money was directed towards new technology,” he reflected. “I wanted to show that value could come from humble materials.”
The Poetics of Dimensions will be on display at the Institute of Contemporary Art in San Francisco from October 25 to February 23.
