The Martha and Robert Fogelman Galleries of Contemporary Art

Sally Heller: Mind over Mayhem

September 22 – November 9, 2017

Artist Talk: September 21, 11:30 am - 12:30 pm, ACB 310

Opening Reception: September 22, 5-7 PM

Sally Heller creates large scale installations out of everyday matter. These improbable landscapes, made of artificial debris, reflect the chaotic state of mass market culture, nature, and consumerism. Some of the materials she uses include fabric, netting, broken plastic items, industrial wire, and chain.

Mind over Mayhem conveys a sense of the world as a turbulent place where we can hopefully use our minds to control its volatility. It is an apt title for an artist whose process is shaped by fluidity and spontaneity. Entering the gallery space for the first time, Heller gets a sense of how to install the boundaries of the piece and, in collaboration with U of M art students, starts constructing the perimeters and rigging of the work. The installations are site-specific, growing organically as she subtracts, adds, and refines the elements. Like a three-dimensional drawing, the gallery is filled with overlapping lines with a variety of materials suspended and layered in space. Often there is no focal point, but rather an environment to be experienced.