Emily Wendlandt - Plaster Gnomes

kitsch

kiCH

noun

1. 1.

   art, objects, or design considered to be in poor taste because of excessive garishness or sentimentality, but sometimes appreciated in an ironic or knowing way.

    My goal for these sculptures was to take an item that's widely considered kitschy in a negative way, and attempt to spin the object as widely sentimental to the viewers.  For me personally, when I think of gnomes, I think of the overly decorated house and yard out in the country and the embodiment of the thrift store experience, but not in a good way.  To spin sentimentality on these gnomes I put a lot of obvious labor into painting them.  I think that the hand painted details convey this, but I also find it ironic that there is so much artistry in such a useless item, that unless displayed in a vulgar manner is never really seen, which is why they are placed at eye level in a commonly used space.  I also find irony in the fact that these items are typically supposed to be displayed outdoors, but because they are made of plaster, they would not last out in the elements, adding to the useless element of the original object; yet here they are ornately decorated.  Looking back now I think I chose the wrong means to display these items.  They ruffled scenery does not make the items appear to be special or loved at all.  Perhaps an ornate table or even a pedestal would have been a better choice to convey the object as lovingly useless.