As Madison descends into fall and temperatures slowly drop, I would like to personally recommend a stop by the ALL gallery to spend some socially distanced time with Emma Pryde’s enchanting exhibit, Night Births in the Laboratory. Pryde, recipient of the 2020 ALL Prize and recent graduate of UW-Madison with an MFA in 4-D art, explores the multiplicities of femininity, religion, and consumerism in this fantastical installation of haunting pastel gore. Using slip-cast porcelain and laser-cut acrylics to construct this showcase of cheery horror, Pryde imbues her work with questions of innocence, divinity, and self-awareness. What better themes to ponder on a cool October afternoon?
Before your visit, take a moment to meet the artist.
ALL Review: A big congratulations on being a recipient of the ALL Prize! What do you find exciting about doing art in Madison, and at the UW, in particular?
Emma Pryde: Thank you! I lived in Madison from the ages of six to 19. My family lives here. I came back to the Madison area to explore the psychology of middle America.
AR: Where do you draw your inspiration(s) from?
EP: I am inspired by many artists from different time periods. I love the way that art records cultural philosophy.
AR: You’ve done work in ceramics, installations, video art—what mode of expression feels the most comfortable for you? What challenges you the most?
EP: Each material has its own history and inherent meaning. I like to try new materials, I don’t have a preference of one over another.
AR: How do you work to overcome mental barriers in your process—times when you were doubtful of or at a loss with a project?
EP: If a project isn’t going smoothly, I usually set it aside and work on something else. I try to protect my practice from my own negativity and judgement.
AR: What trends, or sub genres, in the art world are you most excited to see further explored—whether in your own work, or in the larger community?
EP: It’s hard to label specific trends or sub-genres until they have been canonized. If I was to engage in a historical category, I suppose it would be the tradition of surrealism and mysticism in art.
AR: With our current situation—a lot of people at home, many with time on their hands, many without—there’s been an ongoing conversation about the pandemic and what this means for artists and creators, and how they are valued as individuals and communities. How do you see (or hope to see) the art world and its role changing as we go through this? How might it influence your own work?
EP: Art has survived many catastrophic events. Artists have lived through plagues and wars, their works have been burned and destroyed, they have been exiled. Art is a celebration of life, a testament to existence, regardless of whether the art world finds the work or the artist to be valuable. I think the “art world” is a fiction.
Night Births in the Laboratory will be on view through October 31, 2020.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, the galleries will be open to the public for limited hours from 12-5pm Thursday through Saturday or by appointment. Visitors inside the building will be required to wear masks and practice social distancing, and the number of visitors will be limited according to current public health guidelines. Exhibition admission is free.
