Samantha Cheng, Mass/mess, 2023 (research image). Courtesy of the artist.
Photo Credit
Mass/mess presents a collection of brooms for viewers to peruse onsite at Window. This exhibition is a result of the efforts to bring together variations of the humble broom, reframing the object in an art context. Arranged together as a display, the objects have become artefacts. They are relics of the spaces they used to inhabit and function within.
Together, the objects consider the broom’s materiality and thing-power. The installation is a playful exploration of the materiality of a broom and the notion of a mess they are often linked to. Strewn throughout the mess are materials or debris that trace the installation process. Some brooms have been interfered with through visible ‘improvements’. Placed together, we may notice the differences between bristle density, handle length and material, and the ergonomic qualities of each broom.
Samantha Cheng works across installation, sculpture, and video to examine the role of failure and humour in art making. In her practice she utilises strategies such as never beginning, pursuing purposelessness, or devising ways to ensure irresolution to reconceive failure as a generative space. She is based in Tāmaki Makaurau and completed a Master of Visual Arts at Auckland University of Technology in 2021. She has been acquiring brooms since June 8th 2023.
Opening Hours
- Viewable during General Library Hours:
- Monday to Thursday 8am-10pm
- Friday 8am-8pm
- Saturday and Sunday 9am-8pm
Address
- 5 Alfred St
- General Library Foyer
- University of Auckland
- Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland
- Aotearoa New Zealand
Mass/mess presents a collection of brooms for viewers to peruse onsite at Window. This exhibition is a result of the efforts to bring together variations of the humble broom, reframing the object in an art context. Arranged together as a display, the objects have become artefacts. They are relics of the spaces they used to inhabit and function within.
Together, the objects consider the broom’s materiality and thing-power. The installation is a playful exploration of the materiality of a broom and the notion of a mess they are often linked to. Strewn throughout the mess are materials or debris that trace the installation process. Some brooms have been interfered with through visible ‘improvements’. Placed together, we may notice the differences between bristle density, handle length and material, and the ergonomic qualities of each broom.
Samantha Cheng works across installation, sculpture, and video to examine the role of failure and humour in art making. In her practice she utilises strategies such as never beginning, pursuing purposelessness, or devising ways to ensure irresolution to reconceive failure as a generative space. She is based in Tāmaki Makaurau and completed a Master of Visual Arts at Auckland University of Technology in 2021. She has been acquiring brooms since June 8th 2023.
