Courtesy of the artist
Courtesy of the artist
Across a growing body of work, Isabelle Frances McGuire turns to familiar figures in American culture with a special interest in the ones that are elevated as models of behavior worth emulating, sometimes against all odds. Whether looking to Elvis, Jesus, Napoleon, or Baby Yoda, McGuire embraces some of the archetypes that loom large in the cultural imagination, or the stories that follow them, and gives them a new uncanny life.
McGuire’s exhibition at the Renaissance Society springs out the lasting lionization of Abraham Lincoln, and it expands from there to think more widely about forms of re-enactment, which can range from dedicated Civil War reenactors to other expressions of this impulse today. In various ways here, McGuire tests out different approaches to recreating the past, re-animating old models, or revisiting persistent symbols.
On a material level, McGuire’s work takes shape as technology meets and mediates history’s lingering specters, especially in their pop culture guises. With the learn-it-and-do-it spirit of an engineer, the Chicago-based artist creates sculptures and installations using new and old technologies. This ranges from outmoded animatronic robots, found on eBay or in thrift stores, to 3D printing and computer-controlled milling based on digital models. At times, McGuire also uses DIY methods like “modding” and “kitbashing,” in which 3D models are altered or combined to make new forms, borrowing techniques from gaming culture as readily as from the history of art.
Curated by Karsten Lund.
