38″x14″x14″; bronze; 2021. Courtesy of the artist and Arthur Roger Gallery, New Orleans
COLLAGE ON VIEW
Joseph Havel: Birdsongs
at Arthur Roger Gallery in New Orleans, Louisiana, USA
7 May-16 July 2022
The bronze sculptures and wall assemblages exhibited in “Birdsongs” are a collaboration between renowned sculptor Joseph Havel and his African grey parrot Hannah. Like most Americans during lockdown, Joseph Havel turned to online shopping to fulfill basic needs. With the abundance of cardboard boxes Hannah reverted to her natural instincts and began chewing on the boxes. Havel stacked the boxes and allowed Hannah to revisit the boxes to make sure she was happy with her creations. Once both artists are satisfied with the box tower creations, Havel casts the creations in bronze. “She brings her instinct, I bring mine, and somewhere in the middle we meet,” Havel says.
40″x30″; cardboard, oil stick, and powdered graphite on plywood; 2021-2022. Courtesy of the artist and Arthur Roger Gallery, New Orleans
The work is a statement about the excess and waste of modern convenience. The convenience of quick, on-demand delivery increases the demand for fossil fuels and creates excess carbon emissions. The demand for cardboard boxes contributes to deforestation and habitat loss of species like the African grey parrot. The precarious appearance of the structures is a nod to the chaos of the past two years and the demise of our planet’s ecosystems.
(text adapted from the gallery’s press materials)
INFORMATION
Arthur Roger Gallery
434 Julia Street
New Orleans, Louisiana 70130 USA
(504) 522-1999
Hours:
Tuesday-Saturday, 10AM-5PM