Daily Art Moment: Lynn Aldrich

“Brightly colored sponges, rubber gloves, scouring pads and scrubbing brushes pile together in the lively sculpture ‘Biophilia.’ Artist Lynn Aldrich describes this work as a “miniature explosion” created to reflect the many diverse life forms of a coral reef. She bends, cuts, and links these ordinary, everyday cleaning tools, shaping them into representations of vibrant sea creatures. ‘Biophilia’ is both fun and serious. The title is a compound noun that joins the Greek root words ‘bio,’ meaning life, and ‘philia,’ meaning love. The title can be read as ‘love of life,’ and the sculpture makes a joyful tribute to the abundance of creation and the awesome variety of life forms. The artist also connects her work to critical environmental issues, especially the massive amount of plastics that pollute the oceans resulting from our reliance on cheap disposable goods. For her part, Aldrich is drawn to these ‘worthless’ materials (as she describes them) and transforms them into a sharp statement on the need to clean up and repair the damage we have wrought on fragile ecosystems. This work went on view in the Jubitz Center shortly before the Museum closed in March; I hope you’ll come by and take a look now that we’ve reopened.”

—Sara Krajewski, The Robert and Mercedes Eichholz Curator of Modern and Contemporary Art