Virginia Overton Work | Artist Statement & CV | Return to Artist List
You must be logged in to advance Nominee.
You must be a selection to view advance submissions.
Artist Statement
My work is about process, relationality, and memory. My sculptures and installations are made of easily found materials and images of common things; they are constructed so that they can be reused. For a moment, the conglomeration looks and acts a particular way, given its surroundings and the placement of the objects in proximity to one another. But as quickly as it was made, the work can dissolve, leaving only a stack of materials behind. This recursive process inscribes a memory of past uses on the materials: if two boards are screwed together, a hole is left when they are unscrewed. Similarly, dents and cracks begin to appear on surfaces of wood or acrylic in the course of building a sculpture. The objects and images absorb a history through this accumulation of marks, becoming more than just “raw” material.
Using and reusing materials allows me both flexibility in my practice and the creation of a vocabulary; there is a certain economy in using materials more than once. This mode of working allows for greater plasticity while de-emphasizing the preciousness of each object. It’s like a weird family reunion where the entire group is related, but as each new member is introduced, the dynamic of the whole undergoes a shift.
My sculptures and installations exist in relationship to one another and the surrounding space. For instance, I take a well-known image of a mud flap girl, commonly seen flying on 18-wheelers along interstates, and toss her in the air around the perimeter of a room. As she revolves in a full circle, she makes her way along the white walls, causing the flat space to be configured differently with each revolution. No matter its form, every piece interacts with the existing architecture of the space, creating a new paradigm about the relationship of art and architecture.
My work is about process, relationality, and memory. My sculptures and installations are made of easily found materials and images of common things; they are constructed so that they can be reused. For a moment, the conglomeration looks and acts a particular way, given its surroundings and the placement of the objects in proximity to one another. But as quickly as it was made, the work can dissolve, leaving only a stack of materials behind. This recursive process inscribes a memory of past uses on the materials: if two boards are screwed together, a hole is left when they are unscrewed. Similarly, dents and cracks begin to appear on surfaces of wood or acrylic in the course of building a sculpture. The objects and images absorb a history through this accumulation of marks, becoming more than just “raw” material.
Using and reusing materials allows me both flexibility in my practice and the creation of a vocabulary; there is a certain economy in using materials more than once. This mode of working allows for greater plasticity while de-emphasizing the preciousness of each object. It’s like a weird family reunion where the entire group is related, but as each new member is introduced, the dynamic of the whole undergoes a shift.
My sculptures and installations exist in relationship to one another and the surrounding space. For instance, I take a well-known image of a mud flap girl, commonly seen flying on 18-wheelers along interstates, and toss her in the air around the perimeter of a room. As she revolves in a full circle, she makes her way along the white walls, causing the flat space to be configured differently with each revolution. No matter its form, every piece interacts with the existing architecture of the space, creating a new paradigm about the relationship of art and architecture.
CV
VIRGINIA OVERTON
Born 1971, Nashville, TN
Lives & works in Brooklyn, NY
2005 MFA University of Memphis, Tennessee
2002 BFA University of Memphis, Tennessee
SELECTED SOLO EXHIBITIONS
2011
Freymond-Guth Ltd. Fine Arts, Zürich, Switzerland
2010
Untitled (Milan), N.O. Gallery, Milan, Italy
Cheekwood Museum of Art, Nashville, TN
True Grit, Dispatch, NY
Ecart, John Armleder and Mai-Thu Perret, Basel 41, Basel, Switzerland
2009
This Is Not A Ladder, Artlab at AMUM, Memphis, TN
2008
White Box, New York, NY
2007
Powerhouse, Memphis, TN
SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS
2011
Glee, curated by Cecilia Alemani, Blum and Poe, Los Angeles
Bridgehampton Biennial, curated by Robert Nickas, Martos Gallery, Bridgehampton, NY
Wassaic Project, curated by Eric Gleason and Ethan Greenbaum, Wassaic, NY
Broken Umbrellas, Laurel Gitlen, NY
Against the Way Things Go, curated by Andrea Hill; Klemens Gasser & Tanja Grunert Inc., NY
Impossible Vacation, White Flag Projects, St. Louis, MO
Indeterminate Activity, Nicelle Beauchene Gallery, NY
Enter/Exit with Aaron Suggs, organized by Greely Myatt, Wrong Again Gallery, Memphis, TN
Street Trash, Greenpoint, Brooklyn, NY
Multipli D'Artista, N.O. Gallery, Milan
2010
White Columns Annual, White Columns, NY
Jacob Kassay, Robert Morris, Virginia Overton, Mitchell-Innes & Nash, NY
Wait for Me at the Bottom of the Pool, curated by Robert Nickas, hosted by Jose Martos, Bridgehampton, NY
The Rule of the Game, Republique-Galerie Chantal Crousel, Paris
Today I Made Nothing, Elizabeth Dee Gallery, NY
Grass Grows By Itself, curated by Sima Familant, Marlborough Gallery, NY
the backroom, organized by Kate Fowle, Rotating Gallery, PS1 MoMA, Long Island City, NY
Greater New York, PS1 MoMA, Long Island City, NY
Windows at Saks 5th Avenue, NY
Be Yourself, Burning Bridges, NY
2009
From the Mississippi to the Hudson, Michel Allen Projects, NY
Portrait de l’artiste en motocycliste, le Magasin-CNAC, Grenoble, France
edia Int'l Group, organized by Lucky DeBellvue, Foundation Barbin, NY
The Audio Show, organized by Seth Kelly, Friedrich Petzel Gallery, NY
In Practice, SculptureCenter, Long Island City, NY
2007
String Show, curated by Josh Smith, Greene Naftali Gallery, NY
2006
Off the Grid, Brooks Museum, Memphis, TN
VA4398UV, Memphis, TN
SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY
Karen Rosenberg, “All Nooks and Crannies, Bedrooms and Trees are Backdrops for Art,” New York Times, August 8, 011.
Chris Bollen, “Virginia Overton,” Interview Magazine, April 2011
Lauren O’Neill Butler, “Jacob Kassay, Robert Morris, and Virginia Overton,” artforum.com, January 2011
“Virginia Overton,” The New Yorker, April 5, 2010
Howie Chen, “Virginia Overton: Untitled (Milan),” 2010
VA4398UV, 2006-2007
VIRGINIA OVERTON
Born 1971, Nashville, TN
Lives & works in Brooklyn, NY
2005 MFA University of Memphis, Tennessee
2002 BFA University of Memphis, Tennessee
SELECTED SOLO EXHIBITIONS
2011
Freymond-Guth Ltd. Fine Arts, Zürich, Switzerland
2010
Untitled (Milan), N.O. Gallery, Milan, Italy
Cheekwood Museum of Art, Nashville, TN
True Grit, Dispatch, NY
Ecart, John Armleder and Mai-Thu Perret, Basel 41, Basel, Switzerland
2009
This Is Not A Ladder, Artlab at AMUM, Memphis, TN
2008
White Box, New York, NY
2007
Powerhouse, Memphis, TN
SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS
2011
Glee, curated by Cecilia Alemani, Blum and Poe, Los Angeles
Bridgehampton Biennial, curated by Robert Nickas, Martos Gallery, Bridgehampton, NY
Wassaic Project, curated by Eric Gleason and Ethan Greenbaum, Wassaic, NY
Broken Umbrellas, Laurel Gitlen, NY
Against the Way Things Go, curated by Andrea Hill; Klemens Gasser & Tanja Grunert Inc., NY
Impossible Vacation, White Flag Projects, St. Louis, MO
Indeterminate Activity, Nicelle Beauchene Gallery, NY
Enter/Exit with Aaron Suggs, organized by Greely Myatt, Wrong Again Gallery, Memphis, TN
Street Trash, Greenpoint, Brooklyn, NY
Multipli D'Artista, N.O. Gallery, Milan
2010
White Columns Annual, White Columns, NY
Jacob Kassay, Robert Morris, Virginia Overton, Mitchell-Innes & Nash, NY
Wait for Me at the Bottom of the Pool, curated by Robert Nickas, hosted by Jose Martos, Bridgehampton, NY
The Rule of the Game, Republique-Galerie Chantal Crousel, Paris
Today I Made Nothing, Elizabeth Dee Gallery, NY
Grass Grows By Itself, curated by Sima Familant, Marlborough Gallery, NY
the backroom, organized by Kate Fowle, Rotating Gallery, PS1 MoMA, Long Island City, NY
Greater New York, PS1 MoMA, Long Island City, NY
Windows at Saks 5th Avenue, NY
Be Yourself, Burning Bridges, NY
2009
From the Mississippi to the Hudson, Michel Allen Projects, NY
Portrait de l’artiste en motocycliste, le Magasin-CNAC, Grenoble, France
edia Int'l Group, organized by Lucky DeBellvue, Foundation Barbin, NY
The Audio Show, organized by Seth Kelly, Friedrich Petzel Gallery, NY
In Practice, SculptureCenter, Long Island City, NY
2007
String Show, curated by Josh Smith, Greene Naftali Gallery, NY
2006
Off the Grid, Brooks Museum, Memphis, TN
VA4398UV, Memphis, TN
SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY
Karen Rosenberg, “All Nooks and Crannies, Bedrooms and Trees are Backdrops for Art,” New York Times, August 8, 011.
Chris Bollen, “Virginia Overton,” Interview Magazine, April 2011
Lauren O’Neill Butler, “Jacob Kassay, Robert Morris, and Virginia Overton,” artforum.com, January 2011
“Virginia Overton,” The New Yorker, April 5, 2010
Howie Chen, “Virginia Overton: Untitled (Milan),” 2010
VA4398UV, 2006-2007
Untitled (echo)
Mirrored acrylic, ratchet straps
96 x 48”
2011
Untitled (Blonde)Florescent light fixtures, bulbs, inkjet print
Each 3 x 4 x 96”
2011
Untitled (tube and records)Sonotube, vinyl records, record player, pedestal, speaker, car battery, inverter, hardware
Sonotube: 36” (diameter) x 144”
2011
DETAIL:Untitled (tube and records)
Untitled (triangle)Poplar
176 x 191 x 14”
2011
Untitled (Milano)Lumber
Dimensions variable
2009
Untitled (Upended)
Digital print on vinyl
154 x 154”
2011
16 Mud Flap Girls (360°)
Adhesive vinyl
Each 54 x 40”
2011
Untitled
Wood, spray paint
Dimensions variable
2011
Untitled (Tow rope)
Wood, tow rope, pastel
Dimensions variable
2010
Untitled (truck with mirror)Digital photograph
360 x 480 pixels
2010
Untitled
Acrylic mirror, lumber
Dimensions variable
Mirror: 96 x 48”
2010
Untitled (salt)
Wood, ratchet strap, canister of salt
48 x 70 x 6”
2009
Untitled (dinette set for CN and SP)
Chairs, light fixture, ratchet strap, bulbs
45 x 22 x 22”
2009
Untitled (8’ ladder)Fiberglass ladder
Dimensions variable
2009
Untitled (end to end)
Truck, ladders, house
Dimensions variable
2009
Untitled (mud)Sheetrock mud, lumber
192 x 12 x 6”
2010
Pallet PartitionPallets, shims, car jack
70 x 192 x 48”
2008
Truck with tube, mirror and neon
Mixed media
Dimensions variable
2008
DETAIL:Truck with tube, mirror and neon