The hollowing out of the U.S. Postal Service might not be the most dramatic thing that’s caused stress and anxiety over the last 18 months—but for Chroma Projects, it’s the motivation behind “Pandemonium: Postcards from the Edge,” the gallery’s latest installation.
When co-curators Deborah McLeod and Sarah Sargent (a C-VILLE contributor) invited artists to reflect on their experiences during the pandemic, they thought postcards were the perfect medium for it. They’re “inexpensive, democratic, humble, and extremely portable objects,” the curators say. Plus, sending them in the mail supports the post office—an act of positive change in the face of grim circumstances.
In answer to the call for contributions, nearly 100 postcards arrived, postmarked from around the country and the world. Each artist, whether sculptor, painter, or filmmaker, faced the same template: a small rectangle of paper not to exceed more than 4.25 X 6 inches. It pushed people out of their comfort zone, and functioned as “a metaphor for how we have all been pushed out of normalcy during the pandemic,” the curators say.
Artists used a range of mediums—charcoal, gold leaf, even embroidery—to transform their postcards into show pieces. Barbara Page’s “Where I Wasn’t 2020-2021” is a collage of antique stamps depicting tropical, faraway places that expresses longing for new scenery while trapped in social isolation. Alex Gould’s “Points” features watercolor drawings of two arrowheads, dated 7500 BC and 1200 AD, followed by a vaccine needle, dated 2021 AD. It places this interminable current moment into a larger context, a reminder of the challenges we’ve faced throughout history.
Lined up on the gallery wall, the postcards mimic dozens of Zoom boxes. Yet refreshingly, this Zoom screen is not a soul-sucking experience. Instead, it reflects back not our own preening image, but a reminder that even in the darkest of times, there’s opportunity for creativity and hope.
“Pandemonium: Postcards from the Edge.”
Chroma Projects Art Laboratory
Through October 31