Tenuous Arrangements

2010

Heather Rowe (American, b. 1970)

2010.240A-H

Not currently on view

mirrors steel acrylic plastic nylon ink paper wood assemblage

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Artwork Details

Artist

Heather Rowe (American, b. 1970)

Creation Date

2010

Materials

wood, steel, mirror, wallpaper, curtain, curtain hardware, paint, carpet

Object Types

built environments, installations, sculptures, wallpapers, carpets

Dimensions

83-1/4 x 183 x 96 in.

Accession Number

2010.240A-H

Credit Line

Indianapolis Museum of Art Commission, Frank Curtis Springer and Irving Moxley Springer Purchase Fund

Collection

Contemporary

Provenance

(D'Amelio Terras, New York, New York); commissioned by the Indianapolis Museum of Art in 2010.

Gallery Labels

Films often serve as points of departure for Heather Rowe’s sculptures, in which architectural fragments and decorative elements such as paint, fabric, carpet, and mirrors, are joined to form abstract compositions. For this work, Rowe was inspired by Robert Altman's 1977 film Three Women. She selected contrasting colors and a fractured structure to evoke different “characters” within the composition. Tenuous Arrangements explores how interior space can suggest different psychological states, and reflects the fragile and shifting nature of personal identity.

This installation has been adapted from Heather Rowe: Tenuous Arrangements, commissioned for the IMA’s Efroymson Family Entrance Pavilion in 2010.

For this work, Heather Rowe creates a modular installation incorporating wood, curtains, fabric, carpet and mirrors. This abstract, fragmented sculpture alludes to the internal structure of a room or building.

Inspired by Robert Altman’s 1977 film 3 Women, Rowe selected contrasting colors, such as lavender and yellow, and a disjointed sculptural arrangement to evoke different “characters” from the movie. Tenuous Arrangements explores how interior space can suggest different psychological states and, much like the dreamlike plot of 3 Women, reflect the fragile and shifting nature of personal identity.

Exhibition History

Exhibition Name

Venue

Dates

Heather Rowe: Tenuous Arrangements

Indianapolis Museum of Art

February 19, 2010 - August 1, 2010

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