Forays and Follies by Lauren Fensterstock

Artist list

Lauren Fensterstock

The dark and monolithic three-dimensional pieces in Lauren Fensterstock’s Forays and Follies are striking from a distance, but it is up close where the viewer can wonder in the refined detail of the artist’s creation. Forays and Follies highlights the elegance and visual seduction of Fensterstock’s artificial worlds, and is the first solo exhibition of her work in Philadelphia.

Renowned for her monochromatic iterations of nature and gardens, Fensterstock employs sumptuously textured materials including meticulously crafted paper, shiny black plexi-glass, pulverized charcoal, and rubber-coated seashells. With these, the artist fashions flora and grottos evocative of the ornate garden traditions predating the 19th century, commingling the Baroque and Picturesque with the Modern and Contemporary.

Fensterstock describes a garden as a complete and enclosed world. Her artworks are inspired by this idea of a garden intertwined with the forms found in color-field painting and minimalism. Look for nods to art historical giants like Judd and Smithson, with a Victorian ladies’ craft twist. The work is at once opulent and subtle, grand and intricate.

Reception: Friday, July 17, 5 – 7 pm.