histordomestic-ity: March5-April 9, 2021
The Collaborative Artwork of Rian Kerrane and Melissa Furness

A collector of contemporary detritus and seeing value in material, form, and the inherent history of such finds, Rian Kerrane treats her studio as a laboratory for exploration. Defining herself as a contemporary archeologist, her collecting instincts are tribute to an impetus to honor the innate qualities and histories of upcycled and industrial elements. Her sculptural forms critique our current state and reference the familiar with fresh narrative.

Melissa Furness is an artist that treats painting as a conceptual object that challenges history. Her work explores the concept of ruin–the broken down and overgrown physical structures of the past, the death of historical constructs or ideals in light of present circumstances, and narratives of personal struggle and transformation.

Melissa states, “I extract elements of history, to put into question their significance in the world as we know it today. They become nothing more than a fragment of the unknown which we are urged to revere. Compare what we uphold culturally versus what we discard.” Similarly, Rian states, “I am conscious of how our domestic reconstructions are simulations of nature and how the discarded artifact deserves anthropological study.” The artists invite you to re-visualize every day and historical objects and discover interrelated personal and public narratives within their multidimensional collaborative installations.

Furness and Kerrane have been collaborating on installation works for the past seven years. The artists are aware of the parallels within each other’s work, as patterns, artifacts, and nature cross over and populate one another in a rich, symbolic, textured language. The combinations of Kerrane’s and Furness’ works seek to merge imagery with objects, projections and movement into complex layers of meaning.