COLLECTION NAME:
Environmental Futures
mediaCollectionId
ArtArtHi~8~8
Environmental Futures
Collection
true
Image Record ID:
aahi0021803
image_record_id
aahi0021803
Image Record ID
false
Work Title (display):
BIOME vs BORDERS (Alejandra Abad); Selected works from the “departing landscapes” series (Herbert Pföstl); Balance (Amy Felder)
Image Title:
installation view of works by (left to right) Herbert Pföstl, Amy Felder, and Alejandra Abad
Work Description:
Alejandra Abad artist's statement: BIOME vs BORDERS is a site-specific art piece at Union Hall, which focuses on the proximity of Union Hall to one the most polluted zipcodes in the North Denver area, Globeville. The material gathered from Globeville is reclaimed and made into new layers of paper. The paper is assembled to reference the dissection of a map of the area, emphasizing features that connect Globeville to other surrounding areas in the Denver area, from train tracks, waterways, highways, and pipe systems (some of which are known to have traces of lead). The pollution in the area dates back to 1800, when smelting plants left behind hazardous materials. The long history of harsh chemicals that polluted this area, which was home to immigrants and still is a lower income area, is especially tragic in light of the fact that it continues to relate to racial inequities. Many sites within Globeville were deleted from the EPA’s superfund list, and now some of these sites are in reuse after environmental rehabilitation. The work is inspired by several maps and visualizations of the area, such as health equity, heat maps, Denver railroads, and hazard indexes that demonstrate the ongoing impact of contamination. // Since the Co-Terminous exhibition addresses borders, this work explores how the concept of borders relates to zip codes – particularly given how hazardous materials of one region can connect to the land and waterways of other nearby areas. Biomes do not care about our arbitrary and human-defined borders, so the notion that we are safe in one area is all in the imagination, since everything is interconnected. Yet the economic aspects of these human-defined borders, especially as they relate to inequalities, show the real-world impacts of borders on the working class. // Herbert Pföstl artist's statement: In his paintings on wood, Herbert Pföstl exposes our present blindness to rhythms of the natural world and vanishing abilities to sense our positionality. We are caught in monochromatic outages—whiteouts, blackouts, smoky hazes, storms—that obscure signs of life or even inanimacies that might once have steered us. Pföstl titles the series departed landscapes (2019-2020), which lends itself to imagining how we are left time-struck. Where are we and what are we without other species as reference, without larger landmarks like rivers, mountains, to fuse the strands of collective memories? // Amy Felder Artist Statement: Overcrowding of natural areas is a problem of increasing importance in today’s world. According to the National Park Service, visitation to national parks reached a staggering 327.5 million visits in 2019, the fifth consecutive year where visits exceeded 300 million. As an ecologist, I have devoted myself to exploring the relationship between humans and nature as well as facilitating dialogue about human encroachment of public lands. My paintings span from untouched landscapes to those seen through screens and windshields; they create a space for viewers to analyze their own relationships with nature and often evoke a feeling of uncertainty at how to proceed in natural spaces. My merit and demerit badges reframe and modernize the traditional "Leave No Trace" ideals. Viewers may begin to question their role in nature and consider how social media “sharing” may be to the detriment of the natural places they are seeking to capture.
Work Dates (display):
2019-2020 (Pföstl); 2020 (Felder); 2020 (Abad)
Work Dates type:
creation
Work Creator (display):
Alejandra Abad (Venezuelan, American, active ca. 2003 to present)
Work Creator gender:
female
work_creator_or_agent_gender
female
Work Creator gender
false
Work Creator notes (display):
Artist's statement: Alejandra Abad was born in Venezuela and partially raised in Florida. She is an interdisciplinary artist with a penchant for dense, fantastical landscapes and abstract shapes. Her style is informed by her studies in Architecture at Florida Atlantic University and in Film, Video, and New Media at The School of the Art Institute of Chicago, where she received her BFA. In 2018 she received a fellowship at CU Boulder, where she is currently pursuing an MFA in Interdisciplinary Media Arts Practices. Currently, she is part of the 2020-2021 Engaged Arts and Humanities Graduate Student Scholars cohort at CU Boulder. Her recent projects feature conceptual and collaborative pieces that work to break down the barriers between artist and audience. She creates honest and symbolic narratives in a visual language that depicts fragmentation, mythology, and folklore. Her installations use analog and digital processes – including painting, animation, sculpture, etc. – to make immersive environments that reflect her identity and values.
Work Creator UCB affiliation (display):
MFA 2021, Art and Art History
Work Creator (display):
Herbert Pföstl (Austrian, born 1968)
Work Creator gender:
male
work_creator_or_agent_gender
male
Work Creator gender
false
Work Creator notes (display):
Artist's statement: Herbert Pföstl was born in Graz, Austria in 1968. Previously a curator and book buyer at the New Museum in New York, Pföstl is the co-author of To Die No More, and author of Light Issued Against Ruin and Schrift-Landschaften. His recent translation, A Shelter for Bells: From the Writings of Hans Jürgen von der Wense, was published by Epidote Press. A painter of plants, animals, and saints, Pföstl’s artworks are held in both public and private collections.
Work Creator (display):
Amy Felder (American, active ca. 2003 to present)
Work Creator gender:
female
work_creator_or_agent_gender
female
Work Creator gender
false
Work Creator notes (display):
Artist's statement: Amy Felder was raised in South Carolina and is currently based in Fort Collins, CO. She earned her MA from University of Northern Colorado and her BA from College of Charleston. Spanning a breadth of mediums including paintings, wall hangings, installation work, and embroidery, her work reflects a contemporary experience of nature and struggle to preserve wilderness. Amy has recently shown work in multiple exhibitions including a solo show and was awarded Best in Show in the University of Northern Colorado’s Annual Student Exhibition.
Work Creator Multiple Roles (display):
Artists: Alejandra Abad, Amy Felder, and Herbert Pföstl
Work Subject:
nature
subject
nature
Work Subject
false
Work Subject:
landscapes (environments)
subject
landscapes (environments)
Work Subject
false
Work Subject:
environment (earth sciences concept)
subject
environment (earth sciences concept)
Work Subject
false
Work Subject:
climate
subject
climate
Work Subject
false
Work Subject:
overcrowding
subject
overcrowding
Work Subject
false
Work Subject:
ecology
subject
ecology
Work Subject
false
Work Subject:
lands (general areas)
subject
lands (general areas)
Work Subject
false
Work Subject:
social media
subject
social media
Work Subject
false
Work Subject:
pollution
subject
pollution
Work Subject
false
Work Subject:
maps (documents)
subject
maps (documents)
Work Subject
false
Work Subject:
borders (boundaries)
subject
borders (boundaries)
Work Subject
false
Work Subject:
water pollution
subject
water pollution
Work Subject
false
Work Subject:
water resources
subject
water resources
Work Subject
false
Work Subject:
Denver, Colorado
subject
Denver, Colorado
Work Subject
false
Work Subject:
Globeville, Denver, Colorado
subject
Globeville, Denver, Colorado
Work Subject
false
Work Subject:
Co-Terminous (exhibition)
subject
Co-Terminous (exhibition)
Work Subject
false
Work Worktype:
oil paintings (visual works)
work_type
oil paintings (visual works)
Work Worktype
false
Work Worktype:
installations (exhibitions)
work_type
installations (exhibitions)
Work Worktype
false
Work Category (VRC classification):
sculptures and installations
work_category__ucbaahvrc_classification_
sculptures and installations
Work Category (VRC classification)
false
Work Category (VRC classification):
paintings
work_category__ucbaahvrc_classification_
paintings
Work Category (VRC classification)
false
Work Material and Technique (display):
oil on wood and oil on canvas mounted on wood (Pföstl); acrylic on paper mâché, wood and newspaper (Felder); mixed media, reclaimed materials, paper (Abad)
Work Measurements (display):
various dimensions
Work Location (Repository or Site) name:
Union Hall (Denver, Colorado)
Work Location (Repository or Site) role:
exhibition
Work Location (Geographic) name:
Denver, Colorado
Image Rights (display):
© Matthew Pevear
Work Rights (display):
© Alejandra Abad
Work Rights (display):
© Amy Felder
Work Rights (display):
© Herbert Pföstl
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Holding Institution:
University of Colorado Boulder
Collection:
Art and Art History Visual Resources Center
Subcollection:
Environmental Futures
Collection info and contact:
For information about this collection, see . For specific questions, suggestions, or corrections about the descriptive information for images, contact aahvrc@colorado.edu. Please include the image file name.