Arts + Literature Laboratory presents, The 100 Pound Dress, a solo exhibition featuring the work of Emily Popp, from Tuesday, September 16, 2025 through Saturday, November 8, 2025.
A reception for all current exhibitions will be held on Friday, September 19, from 6:00pm to 8:00pm, with a closing reception on Friday, November 7, from 5:00pm to 9:00pm.
In The 100 Pound Dress, Emily Popp explores the physical, emotional, and cultural weight of a woman's wardrobe through a durational, multi-part installation that interrogates consumption, labor, and identity. The project began with a meticulous inventory as Popp weighed and documented every garment she owned, and culminated in the creation of a monumental dress composed of 116 pounds of assembled secondhand clothing (mirroring the weight of Popp's own wardrobe).
The exhibition comprises four powerful and closely interconnected works. Self Portrait presents a visual catalog of the artist's wardrobe alongside The 100 Pound Dress, a physical manifestation of that wardrobe's weight, sewn by Popp as a freeform garment during five live public events. Anonymous Contributions features a geographic mapping of care tags and labels from each piece of clothing used in the dress, revealing the globalized labor that underpins contemporary fashion. And The 100 Pound Dress at Home pictures the artist navigating everyday domestic life while wearing the immense garment through a photographic series. Collectively, Popp's work invites you to consider your relationship with your own wardrobe.
This exhibition is sponsored by the Marquette Neighborhood Association.
