MACON, GA — The McEachern Art Center (The MAC) presents Severe Optimism, a solo exhibition of new work by artist, maker and writer Dotan Appelbaum. The show opens at 6 p.m. Oct. 3 and will run through Nov. 23.
Severe Optimism reflects on the life and ideas of 19th-century English designer and craftsman William Morris, reconsidering their meaning in today’s world. For Morris, design was a way to make sense of the Industrial Revolution and its impact on labor, modes of making and the built environment. As society now undergoes a digital industrial revolution, these concerns remain urgent.
Appelbaum engages this history by working with a Morris wallpaper pattern alongside two patterns inspired by the artist. Through these motifs, he investigates the tensions of contemporary labor, the changing nature of craft, and the ways digital visual culture seeps into the material world. The resulting work confronts the grim realities of the future and the natural environment while holding on to a sense of severe optimism.
“The opportunity to bring Dotan Appelbaum’s work to our gallery has been such an honor,” said Johnny Cohen, director of the MAC. “Our paths first crossed abroad randomly, on a tour group with our families in Europe, and it’s incredible that our shared passions for art have brought us here today. Dotan’s attention to detail and the power of his body of work are truly inspiring. I am thrilled to curate this exhibition and to share his new work — being debuted for the very first time — with our community.”
Appelbaum is a furniture designer, artist and writer from Minneapolis currently based in Richmond, Virginia. He holds an Master of Fine Arts in furniture design from the Rhode Island School of Design, with further background in painting and fine woodworking. Appelbaum brings a theory-oriented sociological approach to furniture design. Mining histories of design as well as contemporary trends and precedents, he seeks to question and undermine how we understand our social relationship to furniture and craft.
Severe Optimism will have its opening reception at 6 p.m. Oct. 3 during downtown Macon’s First Friday. The exhibition will remain on view through Nov. 23. The MAC is located at 332 Second St. in Macon and has regular operating hours 4-8 p.m. Thursday-Saturday. Admission is always free and open to the public. Media and educators may access the gallery outside of normal hours by appointment by emailing cohen_j@mercer.edu. Find out more at macmacon.com.
