Things Fall Apart

A solo exhibition by Erika Dueck

Curated by Peter Tittenberger

View images from the opening reception

Opening Reception: Friday, September 6th 5 – 9 pm

Exhibition Runs: September 6 – October 26, 2019

First Friday Artist Talk with Erika Dueck: October 4th

CraftED: Miniatures Workshop with Erika Dueck: October 5th  

Dueck’s work initially gives the impression of a construction site more than a piece of contemporary craft. The viewer is first met with a crude foam core structure with visible wires, cords, tape, glue, and cardboard. When peering through openings in these chaotic façades, meticulously crafted miniature spaces are revealed.

With precision and accuracy, Dueck crafts the internal spaces of her rooms out of everyday materials. Some rooms have the sense of purpose and utility found in the spaces we inhabit daily, while others display the unfamiliar and unconventional. She infuses her miniature spaces with details that hint at the passage of time, creating the impression of a living history within a fictional space.

A viewer can spot the cluttered chaos of a room abandoned in its prime, or hints of nature finding its way through the walls and floor, reclaiming the room as its own. Peering into Dueck’s spaces can seem disorienting, unsettling and invasive. Through a limited perspective, the viewer aspires to make sense of things: Where am I? What has happened here? Why am I being shown this?

Erika Dueck’s work creates space to consider time, presence, action and history. The lives we have built will disintegrate, transform and grow. Things will inevitably fall apart; time will continue to march on.

Things Fall Apart is made possible by the generous support of the Manitoba Arts Council, the Arts Branch (Province of Manitoba), Canada Council for the Arts, and Winnipeg Arts Council.