From October 26, 2014 through January 19, 2015, the Parrish Art Museum will present Steven and William Ladd: Mary Queen of the Universe—an exhibition of the Ladds create portraits of memories—rich visual abstractions based on their“Presenting Steven and William Ladd’s exhibition simultaneously with Alan Shields: In Motion—another exhibition at the Museum on view concurrently—will be a compelling experience for visitors,” said Parrish Art Museum Director Terrie Sultan. “There are many points of intersection between these artists, though they each come to their creativity from different points of view. The Ladd brothers and Shields each used materials that are non-traditional in the greater sense of our expectations of fine art, such as beads and textiles. Each artist’s work also has a performative aspect, founded in dance and motion, and a desire to connect various disciplines within the overall context of their work.”
The exhibition at the Parrish features 24 sculptures including maquettes and towers made up of individual boxes, a series of 10 handcrafted artists books, and more than 25 drawings and prints. meticulously crafted sculpture, drawings, and prints by the fraternal collaborative team who, for ten years, have explored the blurred boundaries between design and fashion, fine art and craft. Using non-traditional materials like fabric, belts, beads, and paper, shared childhood experiences growing up in St. Louis and attending the small Catholic grade school, Mary Queen of the Universe, after which the exhibition was named. The central core of the exhibition is a series of 12 large sculptures, each consisting of 24 handmade boxes, installed on the walls in their own individual grids. These “landscapes” reveal densely packed, complex visual information couched in the language of beauty and obsession.