For the first time in New York, artist Wendy Wahl will create a massive sculpture entitled branches exclusively for SOFA: New York, which opens with a gala preview on Thursday, April 15 and runs through Monday at the Park Avenue Armory, at East 67th Street and Park Avenue.  The fifth in a series she began in 2005.  Grand in scale and in concept, Wahl’s inviting work seeks to make connections between perception, knowledge, and tactility through fashioning discarded pages from various volumes of the Encyclopedia Britannica into whimsical and arresting sculptural forms.  As digital technologies continue to alter how we access and transmit information, Wahl’s manipulation of the expensive and monumental Encyclopedia Britannica encourages the audience to think critically about sources of information in the twenty-first century.    

“I love the materiality of books,” explains Wahl. “and branches is a tribute of sorts to a medium in transition.  It’s a wonderful opportunity to continue my exploration at SOFA in New York, the center of the rapidly changing publishing industry.  I want the fair’s audience to think about how they get their knowledge and to question their relationships to the natural world.  What are the connections between nature and language? How does a multitude of new ways to communicate alter our understanding of meaning and significance?” According to the artist, this installation is the fifth in a series she started in 2005.

branches will flank the fair’s ticket booth inside the Armory and stand approximately nine-feet high, six-feet deep, and eleven-feet wide.  Viewers will be encouraged to move through the sculpture, whose form and materials will serve as a contemporary reflection on the ancient idea of the “Tree of knowledge.” 

“We are thrilled to have Wendy frame this year’s edition of SOFA New York with her provocative work that will doubtlessly energize veterans and newcomers alike,” added Mark Lyman, Founder/Director of SOFA.

About the artist:

Wendy Wahl ‘s work can be found in the permanent collection of the Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum (New York, NY) and the American Embassy in Tashkent, Uzbekistan (through the Art in Embassies Program).  She has exhibited throughout the world at venues such as the Contemporary Jewish Museum (San Francisco, CA), the Newport Art Museum (Newport, RI), the University of Wollongong (Australia), and the International Textile Convention (Kyoto, Japan).  She lives and works in Rhode Island and is represented by browngrotta arts in Wilton, CT. 

About SOFA:

The Sculpture Objects and Functional Art Fair (SOFA) is New York’s premier destination for cutting-edge modern and contemporary design, decorative arts, and jewelry and has continued to attract a global audience of discerning collectors, critics, and enthusiasts since its inception over a decade ago.  This year, sixty galleries from the United States, Canada, Belgium, Denmark, England, France, Turkey, Japan, and Brazil will come together and push the boundaries of medium and genre, offering work that goes beyond the traditional decorative arts to embrace new materials and processes with rigorous conceptual underpinnings.  Luminaries such as Ruth Duckworth, Lenore Tawney, Peter Voulkos, and Lino Tagliapietra, stand beside up-and-coming artists such asChris Antemann, Cristina Cordova, Jennifer Trask and Junko Mori.

Listing Information SOFA NEW YORK 2010:

Location:  Park Avenue Armory // 643 Park Avenue at East 67th Street, New York City 10021

Subway: 6 Train to 68th Street/Hunter College; Bus: M101, M102, or M103 to Lexington Ave & 68th Street.

Opening Night: Thursday, April 15: Invitation-only 5:30 – 7 pm, Public Preview: 7 – 9 pm, Tickets: $100.00. Opening Night attendees may also support New York’s Museum of Arts and Design (MAD) by purchasing a ticket to attend a private dinner in the Armory’s Tiffany Room beginning at 8:30 pm. To purchase dinner tickets call Stephanie Lang at 212.299.7720.

Exposition hours: Friday, April 16: 11 – 7 pm; Saturday, April 17: 11 – 7 pm; Sunday, April 18: noon – 6 pm; Monday, April 19: 11 – 5 pm.

Tickets: $25 for a single day of general admission and $40 for a four-day pass; both include catalog.

General information: Visit www.sofaexpo.com; call 800-563-SOFA (7632) or 773-506-8860; or email info@sofaexpo.com