^recess

^{article by ryan roberts, depaul university bfa}

Even while being so closely engaged with such a vast pool of artists and art students from around the city as I am, finding the beauty and craftsmanship in everyone’s work; it’s still incredibly difficult to discover artists whose work is as unique and transcendent in form as Montana Russell’s. In all honesty, I don’t believe I ever have. After meeting Russell about a year ago, I have been infatuated with her work since I first experienced it. My relationship with her has developed immensely, and I have only become more and more captivated by her artistry over time.

Russell is a practicing artist with access to studio space and resources coming from her undergraduate status as a BFA student at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. With this said, I know personally the amount of passion she pours into her art with no consistent monetary return. The work spaces are provided by SAIC, but the abstract materials that Russell uses and the amount of them that she needs to produce the art that she desires come almost completely out of her biweekly paychecks, put directly into her creation. The amount of respect Ihave for her dedication to her craft is unrivaled; her passion for her work is so strong it sometimes seems almost mad – it’s a level of devotion that is beyond impressive.

I’ve recently visited her SAIC studio where she produced a majority of the work for her newest installation,Recess, compiled of the three pieces, Playing, In My Metal Tray, and Starfruit Girls – getting to watch her putthe final touches on her display of these pieces for the Final Critique for her Advanced Painting course.Although the project was in some ways motivated by a course for completion and critique, I’ve come to understand that the relation of school to her work is of the most minute connections. It almost became somewhat comedic to understand that this surrealist multi-form work would be submitted for critique in anadvanced painting class. In some ways, the work seems like it could fall more closely under a form of abstract sculpture as the painted work that makes up the core of Recess has been “framed” by and therefore structured through metal trays, acrylic plates, a primary school desk, cinder blocks, rocks, old iPods, and living, blooming plant bulbs, along with the wide array of materials used for the act of painting itself; such as water-soluble charcoal and chalk. Some of the most interesting of these materials were used for the painting in Starfruit Girls,which was “painted” with white chalk on a primary school chalkboard that Russell imported from France.

The details of Recess could be described endlessly, but what makes the work even more astonishing is how all of these details combine to create a larger entity of a piece that is so thematically strong with such a deep, intense emotionality. As I was able to experience this work in a form of private showing before this final critique, I was given the incredible privilege of having a quite intimate encounter with the art. After collecting myself and being able to engage with the work simply as an art lover and enjoyer, I entered the space of the pieces, and felt a somewhat frightening warmth fill my chest. The nostalgia that the piece so clearly was invoking hit me hard, bringing me back to a childhood that I’m not sure I really even know anymore. I felt the warmth and comfort of a time before my consciousness was developed to a point of true self-awareness and more logically understood emotions, but was saddened by the truth that we are always aware; that with each day that passes by, the more information we receive, the more feelings we endure, our return to an ignorance to the depth of pain and love in our existence becomes more impossible. This ignorance of course, disagreeing with our grown, logical understanding of our lives, seems to be so calm and intoxicating as a concept. Every single day I have moments when I wish I had a break from consciousness, a break from the effort that it takes to move through our infinite array of ever-fleeting, ever-changing emotions. While walking past, staring upon, kneeling next to, and sitting
down with Recess, I felt as though I was able to possess a gleaming hint of that ignorance, feeling as though the innocence and comforting emptiness of my childhood’s conscious experience was and I was holding in fists that I could not close.

I believe that in many cases, there is a litmus test of sorts for art that is great and art that isn’t: in short, it sometimes feels as though if an artwork can be described very succinctly, perhaps in a sentence or two, is probably not the greatest. Why even make art at all if all it’s expressing is two lines of easily understood thought? Russell’s work clearly passes this litmus test, and helps explain why it is so phenomenal. I still feel as though thereis so much more that could be said about this exhibition; a lot more which I don’t have the capacity to even begin to understand. Fortunately, this is simply a mark of incredible art – and with that said, Recess is a mark ofthe transcendent, self-reflective, uncontained and unforeseeable experiences we should all be seeking to receive through our engagement with art. It is a work of art that is of the most beautiful, the most cerebral, and most importantly, the most intensely evoking of emotion. I encourage everyone to seek out Russell’s socials and publications, so you can be prepared to experience her future work, which I promise will be more valuable toexperience than you know.

^{Please enjoy Russell’s ever-fascinating thoughts on her incredible work, Recess:}

^{Roberts: We’ve talked quite a bit about the abstracted nostalgia that inspires

this work but I want you to be able tojust express in your own words — what’s the true core of this work?}

. . .

^{Russell: A large portion of my work is devoted to the personal investigation and recording of assemblagein found items and surrealist assemblage. Spirituality, I feel, is essential in my own work, particularly in the development of these organisms that I have created or referred to. As my technique has grown, I've continued to explore the idea of vessels serving as physical marks. A significant amount of my work is dedicated to the personal exploration and documentation of assemblage in found/handmade objects andsurrealist assemblage.}

^{playing (part of installation “recess”) [2023] water soluble charcoal, paper, drops, acrylic frame, ipods, cords, soldered metal, cinder blocks, and rocks [24” x 36”]}

^{Ro: This is such a physical piece, (with the desk, the rocks, the cinder blocks, etc.) but how is it supposed to be received?}

. . .

^{Ru: Through these works, I hope to take the viewer on a nostalgic and reminiscential journey. This journey and the examination of memories is when I truly begin to uncover the inspirations behind my method. I prefer to select remnants of technology and media that were formerly common in my childhood environment and then transfer those fragments to the present to employ as materials for my practice, altering these aspects and giving them new life.}

^{star fruit girls (part of installation “recess”) [2023] school desk, found/handmade objects, chalkboard, acrylic plate graphite illustration,
cigarette ash, and αστερίας
bag}

^{Ro: You really do create in boundless forms of artistry, and it’s so invigorating to never know what to expect from your work. Should we expect more of this new, multifaceted form of yours, or are you looking towards something completely different next?}

. . .

^{Ru: For future endeavors, I intend to keep things as malleable and broad as possible. Reconsidering is a big element of my work process. I absolutely intend to explore old designs and find new faucets for them... My vessels vary in form and material, and will continue to do so. I have a lot of new initiatives planned for the new year, including a more concrete version of my otherworldly perspective.}

^{in my metal tray (part of installation “recess”) [2023] metal school tray, found objects, graphite, rice paper, and rock}

^{Ro: What motivated your choice in using the rocks so prominently in this piece? What do they represent for you and how do they make you feel? Even further, with the cinder blocks in consideration as well, what is behind the clear choice in monotone and almost drab color cohesion? It is really fascinating to me, it makes me feel some very intensely somber emotions.}

. . .

^{Ru: Consider the sterilization and pain of a recent past, as well as the compression in nostalgia. When each acrylic plate and layer is squeezed together, something is locked in time. New images, exceedingly delicate and charming, are crafted between the layers and the silver. The flowers, like us, will always be dancing. Who are we to stand in the way of the flowering and the mundane process of living, playing,and dancing?}

^{. . . school bell rings - tuning the end of recess. . .}

things to read cv

info selected works

montana russell

^recess

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