Josh Troy

Josh Troy is a graduate from the Art Institute of Pittsburgh. He wrote this essay for this exhibition.

"As the archaeology of our thought easily shows, man is the invention of recent date. And one perhaps nearing its end."
---Michael Foucault

The contemporary human experience is marred with uncertainty. Preeminently worrying is that despite steady globalization and technological integration, the human experience of individuals has become increasingly isolated. Sterile communication through high tech devices is replacing the flesh and blood interactions that are so vital to our growth as individuals. Society stresses self-importance, but demands conformity if we are to play by its rules. The self gives way to ‘us’, but ‘us’ has been replaced by lonely interactions behind faceless computers or handheld devices. Since our outward search has been stifled by technology, our investigation is turned inward in an attempt to find something real to sustain our isolated existence. This intense pursuit is a sign of a desperate society trying to find a collective identity. Problems plague the search for self-awareness in the current state. Moreover, the realistic chance of reconciliation between isolation and humanity is very low. Once the gloss of modernity has faded away, we are left alone with profound self-examination and questioning of what our collective generations, and we as individuals, stand for.
Curator and participating artist, Maura Doern Danko, assembled a group of artists whose work delves into this challenging pursuit. These artists, Dana Ingham, Terry Nauheim, Houston Hill, Glen Cebulash and Danko examine contemporary human experience in an increasingly isolated world.
Danko’s vision of a “postmodern reckoning of the human condition” plays out through the lines and sculptural forms of the aforementioned artists. Each undertakes a uniquely personal investigation via this concept. Nauheim’s images speak to nostalgia as escapism. The tactility and familiarity of her materials serve as symbols of a preferable history, perhaps an acknowledgement of a better time.
Ingham touches on this familiarity as well. His use of recognizable shapes presents the viewer with pieces that conjure an immediate response. Through these structures, the viewer is plunged into the anonymity of the crowd. Suspending the viewer’s sense of self-awareness through space and claustrophobia brings forth a feeling of anxiety. We are forced to examine ‘who is the self’ and ‘where is the self’ within the confines of the crowd. The viewer must determine if they should attempt to destroy the crowd and transcend it, or merely find their place within it. The monochromatic palate recalls pureness or stripping away of the ego; the sterility of the environment gives it an alien, timeless quality.
Hill’s work confronts the issue of self through examination of duality. There are clear differences of how we project ourselves publicly and the view we have privately. His use of subtle public humor potentially acts as a shield to internal fragility. The poetic physicality (exterior) of the sculptures quietly masks the fragile subject matter, bringing to life the inner/outer struggle. This dualistic tightrope walk highlights the disquiet of contemporary life.
Danko, too, interacts with exterior/interior dualism. She stated, her work seemed “reliant on perception which is relative and mutable.” This could point to an uncertainty with the role of the self in intimate interactions, such as her view intensive paintings. With the human condition in flux, it is natural to question the role of the self in a constantly changing world. The problem then becomes, how can this be reconciled with a confident or concrete self-image? Danko’s brushstrokes and characters exude this constant struggle to find what is ‘real.’ Similarly, Cebulash’s landscapes and figures come alive through observational marks. Swirling textures intertwined with harsh lines are evidence of an intense connection with the subjects of the paintings. This heavy overlapping shows a continual internal search to capture a perhaps unattainable vibrancy.
These artists strive to pursue a deeper understanding of the role of the self in contemporary society. The primary value of the endeavor of the artists does not lie in the results, but in the intense journey undertaken by each. If personal isolation is mankind’s future, then we must find ways to reconcile ourselves with the situation. Society, just like these artists, must undergo an intense self-examination, in order to better understand and come to terms with its current condition.