Virginia Overton: Animal Magnetism

American artist Virginia Overton‘s exhibition includes sculptures and installations from materials salvaged from industrial contexts, previous artworks and salvaged materials from the gallery. Born in Tennessee, her work is influenced by memories of the family farm and the processes of industry and repair. She works primarily with raw construction materials such as wood, metal, glass, stone, plastic, plumbing and lighting to create objects that are both new and ready-to-use. Described as a ‘serial reuser’, at the end of an exhibition she often breaks these artworks down into their component parts, then recycles and reassembles them into new works and future installations.

The exhibition presents a group of new works created in response to the architecture of the CCA building. Overton’s new works incorporate steel cuttings and objects by renowned British artist Sir Anthony Caro, preserved at the Yorkshire Sculpture Park and intended for re-use by future generations of artists. Much of Caro’s steel has corroded over time, adding another elemental consideration to Overton’s treatment through the incorporation of these weatherings. Made from this weathered material, the exhibition includes a new playable ‘chime’ of suspended fragments and cut pipes, an indoor sculpture garden and a ‘disco’ installation of sound, light and sculpture.