On view in the Buchanan Partners Art Gallery now through January 10, explore the exhibition Metamorphosis (11/4–1/10/26) by artists Jennifer Lillis and Christopher Kardambikis. We asked Kardambikis to share a little more about the stories their art tells, and the techniques used to create the pieces.
Your exhibition transforms ancient sculptures into vibrant paper pulp casts. What drew you to this medium, and how does it change the way we view these ancient forms?
So much of this project is about accessibility. Originally, plaster casts were produced of ancient sculptures to increase the ability of people, usually within a university or a museum setting, to view, study, and learn from the sculptures.
By working with hand-formed paper and treating the plaster cast replicas as a matrix, we can produce many paper versions of the plaster forms. The paper is made from a variety of fibers— cotton, abaca, hemp, and recycled paper—and are much, much lighter than the plasters. The paper is surprisingly strong. Working in this way, our paper casts can be thought of in the language of printmaking: as “editions” and “multiples.” The ability to have “multiple originals” of our paper pieces increases accessibility to the work. We can easily move multiple paper pieces pulled from the same plaster sculpture and install in a variety of ways. Theoretically, more people can see and interact with our pieces just due to the increased numbers and ease of production. These are not heavy or brittle pieces in the same way that the plaster replicas are.
The ancient sculptures went through multiple thresholds of transformation. First history and consequence weathered them. The plaster casts froze them in a specific moment and stripped them of context while allowing a version of the ancient sculptures to travel. Our paper pieces are further removed from the original ancient sculptures. But by reintroducing color and pattern in our work, we try to create an estrangement or dissonance that encourages contemplation. While further removed, they share the same function as storytellers, educators, and vessels for memory.
Your work also references myths and ancient stories. How does using paper help you tell these stories in a different way?
Thinking more about the estrangement or dissonance mentioned above, part of the process of transforming these sculptures into paper is an attempt to re-strange or re-weird the source material. The original sculpture was not intended to be crisp, white pieces. They were painted with bright colors and patterns. The myths that the sculptures reference are constantly changing mysteries fully open to interpretation and personal transformation.
The paper pieces of Metamorphosis are made in a way that invites reinterpretation. The narratives of mythology exist in a constant present “mythic time.” Always happening now. Always happening again. And always changing to meet our present moment. An easily malleable substrate like paper lends itself to this retelling.
Were there any surprising discoveries or challenges during the collaborative process?
Paper is an incredibly versatile and varied material. One of the exciting surprises of this project was discovering the possibilities of paper. The process begins with dry fibers, beaten to a pulp, and reformed into large sheets of paper using molds and deckles. The designs on the surface are done using different pulp painting techniques: applying pigmented fibers on handmade paper. After pressing out all excess moisture, the freshly formed sheets are draped and pressed directly over the plaster cast.
A major part was experimentation. Every day began with the exploration of materials. There would be a sense of suspense in the studio: how thick should the sheet be, will it be strong enough, will the paper shrink in the drying process, did we lose a nose or pigment an eyebrow? Much to our surprise, what started as a sheet of paper transformed into a three-dimensional form. The paper reanimates the classical forms through vibrant color and pattern, bringing figures from antiquity into the twenty first century.
What do you hope viewers will take away from Metamorphosis?
Hopefully many different things. Materially, we hope that visitors can leave with a new understanding of, and appreciation for, paper as a material and carrier. In terms of themes or narratives, hopefully the work is open enough that viewers can build their own surprising interpretations of familiar stories.
Experience Metamorphosis on display in the Buchanan Partners Art Gallery on the second floor of the Didlake Grand Foyer this month through January 10. (Please note that the venue will be closed for George Mason University’s winter break from December 22 through January 5.)