For the past thirty years, California artist Joel Otterson has made sculpture that combines aspects of domestic handicraft with traditional sculptural materials. In Dark Matter, on view through January 20, 2019, at the John Michael Kohler Arts Center, Otterson presents new sculptural work produced in a studio located on the factory floor in the Kohler Co. Foundry during his 2018 Arts/Industry residency. 

In addition to the cast-metal works, the exhibition features sculptures made from exotic hardwoods, Persian carpets, and luxurious upholstery fabrics. The gallery space is defined by large, translucent, textile tapestries sewn by Otterson in his Los Angeles studio. 

Through juxtaposition of materials and methods, Otterson brings real but undefined forces into play. Since the 1980s, he has been vigilantly building upon a new visual landscape that combines aspects of domestic handicraft with traditional sculptural materials. 

Otterson’s remaking of everyday objects through mash-ups of furniture, appliances, utilitarian objects, interior decorations, and architectural elements aligns his practice with feminist thinking and queer aesthetics. Dark Matter continues his lifelong trajectory of fabricating domestic interiors that challenge gender roles through works combining aspects of domestic handicraft with traditional sculptural material. 

Three Arts/Industry residencies (2001, 2017, 2018) at Kohler Co.’s factory have had a noteworthy impact on Otterson’s practice. It was during his 2001 residency that Otterson had his first opportunity to work seriously in ceramics, producing eighty-eight pieces in Kohler Co.’s Pottery. Upon his return to the factory in 2017, Otterson was able to experiment in Kohler Co.’s Foundry, working with cast iron and experimenting with scale. During his third residency, he followed through with ideas and concepts from the year before. 

Dark Matter’s combination of materials helps contextualize Otterson’s drive to give things a new identity, change their context, and reveal hidden meaning. The exhibition is part of the Arts Center’s Live/Work series, which comprises four exhibitions considering the influence and function of the artist’s studio.