Hannah + Isaac Nichols
Philadelphia, PA
July 1, 2010 - July 27, 2010
blog | elsewhere elsewhere dot org slash blogs
Generally I (Hannah Nichols) don’t define myself as an artist. I don’t like to think of the things I make as art, rather I consider everything I do to be art. I think it is problematic to differentiate between art and life. Being strictly/solely an artist to me leads to an accumulation of objects, status makers, creating as a justification of oneself. I strive to not let my objects define me as an artist, instead I hope that my actions everyday define me as such. When I am creating an art, (art as noun) I exert the same energy dedication and discipline as when cooking bread or serving tables at work. Instead of being critical within my art I try to make every decision critically. With this in mind I strive to work in many mediums as a way of working at my ultimate goal, cultivating joy. Can I say I work in the medium of fun? Throughout my life I have been in search and pursuit of wonder, the bumper sticker “why do it if its not fun” comes to mind but to me that's a backwards and lazy out look. Rather “why not create fun” or better “lets make the most fun”. I strongly value a sense of community, partnership, collaboration. Wherever I find myself living, family dinner has become a staple to my life style. Action speaks louder than art. I just poured a cup of tea, it’s tag reads “be so happy that when others see you they become happy to”, it seems oddly appropriate to end here.
Isaac Nichols is an artist living and working in NYC. Currently attending The Cooper Union, his work investigates the human condition in the contexts of the contemporary, the commercial, the economic and the institution. His work often relies on a juxtaposition between economic classes, and their cultural and physical manifestations. This framework allows for a practice actively engaged in the production and exploration of objects, events, curations, documents, and performance. Currently Isaac is working on a performance documentation involving a Plymouth Voyager, as well as a series of publications challenging the relationship between education, capitalism, and the institution.