Dead Frame
September 17 - November 5, 2016
Volume Gallery, Chicago, IL
Volume Gallery is pleased to announce Dead Frame, the third solo exhibition by Thaddeus Wolfe, opening September 17 from 5-8 pm at 845 W. Washington Blvd, Chicago, IL 60607.
The term ‘dead frame’ is used in the neon sign industry, referring to the unseen structure upon which neon tubes are mounted. In neon glass-working, stock material can be used not only as a supporting structural device, but also as a tool for the formation and manipulation of glass while molding the material into shape. Dead frames are generally made out of the same glass tubing that is bent and pumped with gas to illuminate the structure.
Building off of his previous Assemblage series, vibrant glass vessels inspired by mineral formations, Dead Frame presents Wolfe’s new work expanding on this idea with totemic stacked forms—indicative of his heightened understanding for the craft of glassblowing. More than function, Wolfe is interested in the qualities of the glass vessels themselves, concentrating his attention on the interaction of the light that is filtered through the glass medium. With this interplay in mind, Wolfe has added neon structures this new body of work.
Wolfe is self-proclaimed to be more interested in working with the analog over the digital. Intuitively processing his preoccupation with the colored light that diffuses through his work, Wolfe’s new foray into neon as a medium harmoniously bridges his past work with his present direction.
