“Wishful Thinking”
a solo show by Abigail Goldman
March 4 - 26, 2017
SPOKE NYC is pleased to present “Wishful Thinking”, a new solo exhibition by Washington based miniature artist Abigail Goldman. Featuring dozens of her notable small-scale sculptures, “Wishful Thinking” is a continuation of Goldman’s on-going ‘dieorama’ series. Each free standing sculpture is an insular world unto itself, featuring a variety of narratives but all circling the same theme - murder.
Her subjects, although less than an inch high, are aggressive, vindictive and bottom-line homicidal, although one would not guess it based on their provincial appearance. Goldman’s environments range from picturesque suburban settings to objectionable street corners and alley ways, littered with graffiti and trash. Each work encapsulates the precipice of these gruesome murders, allowing viewers to speculate on motive and implication. Working for years as a crime reporter at the Las Vegas Sun and later as an Investigator for the Federal Public Defender of Nevada, Goldman definitely has explored her darker side in both her work as an artist but also professionally in her career.
Although grim in nature, Goldman’s miniature worlds do contain humorous elements. Small details like a rogue character urinating behind a trashcan or a couple figures frantically trying to paint over an impossibly large amount of blood. These kind of subtle ironies create a conflicting experience for the viewer, in addition to the already contrary feelings they present . The artist elaborates “Because my work is so small, people are forced to lean in close or crane their necks to see what’s happening within. I always enjoy seeing people hunched over a dieorama suddenly reel backwards when they realize there’s a tiny murder under the glass – it’s a very physical reaction, craning forward and then jutting upright and then leaning in for a closer look. I think because dieoramas are unapologetically violent and gory, people feel comfortable sharing their dark and disturbing thoughts with me. My most memorable example: A school teacher who requested a yellow school bus full of children crashed into a ravine.”
