Across from the Strand Theatre, between Lonnski’s Pub and Dori’s, Dani Radoshevich ’12 has installed her latest artwork in her apartment. The show opened on May 2 at 7:30 p.m. Radoshevich has been working all semester on her exhibition, Post Industrial Landscape, which is comprised of photos and paintings depicting and inspired by industrial buildings.
“The project as a whole was inspired by industrial and post-industrial forms in the Midwest, mostly sourced from drawings and photographs I’ve done in St. Louis, some drawings from buildings in Grinnell and some imaginary forms,” Radoshevich said.
Radoshevich’s apartment is situated at the end of a long, high ceilinged hallway. Before walking in, I saw that above the door were two windows. They had pictures of factory buildings projected on to them. The projection of photos creates a positive lighting for the factory buildings usually associated with long hours and tedious labor.
“I focused on abandoned or defunct industrial buildings and forms, because something about these kinds of environments is so alien, because in general, factories and warehouses and other similar structures geared towards manufacturing feel so big and precarious,” Radoshevich said. “They’re very obviously not meant for the human form/scale.”
Along the walls, juxtaposed to the projections, are large painted works of buildings and geometric planes.
”I installed it in my apartment because the Spaulding building (where I live) is the old administrative headquarters for the Spaulding automotive manufacturing factory that was active early in the 20th century but was only operational for a few years,” Radoshevich said. The painted works utilize harsh lines and faded colors to express the emotion around the once booming buildings.
Radoshevich began with four huge pieces of birch-ply, the raw support of her paintings.
“I like working on wood because it’s a non-neutral starting place, or some kind of contextualizing ground on which to start. Something about a blank white surface is both intimidating and uninspiring for me. I like to work into something that was already there,” Radoshevich said.
The exhibition, installed against windows which overlook main street, should not be missed. If you’d like to stop by, send an email to [radoshev].