Jillian Mayer and Adam Parker Smith “Social Structures”

Maiden Lane Exhibition Space

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Art-in-Buildings presents the newest exhibition in the lobby of 125 Maiden Lane: Social Structures, featuring works by Jillian Mayer and Adam Parker Smith.

Jillian Mayer and Adam Parker Smith imbue their art practice with a biting sense of humor that is apparent in the materials and processes they deploy. Challenging perceptions of authorship, authenticity, and pop culture, their work approaches these ideas from different directions; the language Mayer developed to surround her Slumpies toes the line between artist statement and design marketing, yet the physical works reject the perfection and slickness of design objects. The Slumpies’ obvious handmade-ness and clumsy shapes insist upon being regarded as sculptures, despite their utility. In contrast, Smith’s work presents as overly perfect. From the front, his sculptures appear to be floating, precariously stacked Mylar balloons - the epitome of slick, shiny, ephemeral, and tacky. The artist, however, leaves the backs of each sculpture raw, revealing that they too, are laboriously handmade. The works on view in Social Structures develop a powerful tension between the actual and the perceived.