The Painful Spectacle of Finding Oneself, Approximate Size: 6’ x 1’ x 1’ (H x W x D) Materials: Folded second-hand clothing, wood and steel. Each unit in this series was created to be exactly as tall as me and explore the physicality of second-hand clothing.
This week we welcome artist Derick Melander. Melander creates large, geometric sculptures from carefully folded and stacked second-hand clothing. The garments are sourced from local communities and the resulting works function as collective portraits.
You Are My Other Me, with Artist, 2019, Size: 8′ x 2′ x 2′ (H x W x D) Materials: Second-hand clothing, wood and steel. The sculpture was made with clothing drive donations to symbolically and socially bring people together around the idea of sustainability.
He sorts the clothing by hue, color, value or intensity to create patterns and gradients. These works often take the form of columns, walls and enclosures, typically weighing between 800 pounds and 2 tons.
Ceaselessly Broken and Reconstituted, 2018, Approximate Size: 7′ x 6′ x 6′ (H x W x D), Weight: 1,860 lbs., Materials: Second-hand clothing & wooden armature
The making of Ceaselessly Broken and Reconstituted
Melander earned his B.F.A. from School of Visual Arts in New York City where he was the recipient of the Chairman’s Grant. His work has been reviewed by the New York Times, Vogue, GQ and NPR. He has shown extensively around the U.S. with solo exhibitions at the University of Maryland and special projects for Scope Art Fair, San Francisco, and New York City. Internationally, Melander has exhibited with Starstreet Precinct in Hong Kong, the YIA Art Fair in Paris, de Warande in Belgium, and Museum Rijswijk in The Hague. He recently completed a commission for the Chapman Perelman Foundation and was a visiting artist at Fashion Institute of Technology.
View more of Melander’s work on his website and Instagram page.
