Tina Rath
2007 Biennial Talk
Run Time: 9:43
What power do materials have? Why do we continue to be captivated by and desire materials such as gold when we are aware of the consequences of their procurement?
The series Black Beauty seeks to explore notions of materiality. Using materials that are inherently luxurious as well as laden with cultural and historic value, these pieces serve to explore and revel in the experience of the material itself. These pieces are consciously made from what I have come to think of as “bad boy materials,” materials that walk a controversial edge such as gold, exotic or rare woods, and animal fur. These pieces play with a certain material’s ability to intoxicate and seduce the senses of the maker, the wearer and the viewer. This body of work seeks not only to explore the mystery of the materials themselves by using and exploiting their ability to captivate, but also to provoke questions of how and if one erases boundaries in the pursuit of beauty.