Why do we place limits on ourselves? Who creates our limiting beliefs? Society? Fear? What makes art, art? Is it merely defined by the artist or is it created by the artist? Can process be art? Even if the artist is no longer in control of the process? In relation to materiality, where is the line between architecture and art? In Un-Definition, her first solo exhibition, Lisa Dengler explores this questions.
“My goal is to question our own limiting beliefs, firstly, in what is even art, and how can you come to see art in everyday life around you, or even create it your- self. Can you fall in love with materials and form and its own life process? Can my treatments of traditional art techniques allow you to view art differently in the future. Can we merge this dialogue of fine art and something as simple as build- ing materials which then allows you to respect both seperately and equally in the future. Can we merge this idea of masculine and feminine and again, have this allow you to respect both seperately and equally. Can the idea of the unfinished, the in-process, the raw, be viewed as complete. Why do we strive for perfection? Who defines perfection? The artist or the viewer?”
- Lisa Dengler
As the start of her formal training in the visual field, Lisa Dengler acquired a BA in Architecture near Toronto and in doing so worked with architecture firms in Switzerland, The Netherlands, and Germany. She continued to explore and manifest her visual language through a career in fashion, graphic design, and photography.
In an act of opposition to the fast-paced and constantly fleeting, consumption-based landscape she had found herself working in, she began stone carving in her Brooklyn studio with just a hammer and chisel.
She continues to explore various artistic media and processes, focusing on natural materials and classical techniques from a contemporary perspective. This exhibition shows the incredible breadth of her artistic expression.
