Wade Schaming: Look At Me, Don’t Look At Me
By Michael Gormley
Wade Schaming, “Yo Plug Tower” Found marble and Tupperware 43 x 12 x 12 inches, 2019
Rebounding
Equity Gallery had, up till the outbreak of the pandemic, presented an ambitious and investigative exhibition’s program comprising both single artist projects and thematic group collections. A noteworthy standout of the latter type was curated by Eric Sutphin and Christopher Stout titled “The Heart Is A Lonely Hunter”; ; the show presented a focused collection of non-objective works by artists advancing formalism as a heretofore marginalized strategy for formulating a novel queer aesthetic.
The name of the exhibition paid homage to the namesake 1940 novel by Carson McCullers, a lesbian author who dealt with her sexuality in the complexities of her narratives. In their press essay on the show, Sutphin and Stout note, “The title in this context is a metaphor to describe an experience of reclusion and lack of community often experienced by queer artists who work in abstraction, which has been, until recently, been understood as operating outside of the queer canon.” They further ask, “What is the relationship between queerness and formalism?
Given the intriguing questions yet unanswered by the seeming ascendency of queer formalism within emerging studio practices, Equity Gallery thought it timely to revisit the exhibition, specifically by foregrounding the works of one the show’s original participants--in this instance the sculptural assemblages of Wade Schaming.
“The Heart Is A Lonely Hunter” Installation View, Equity Gallery 2019
chaming’s Queerness
Clues to understanding a queer formalist troupe may be found in Schaming’s notes about his process. He states, “The materials I work with remain unchanged, they are found and used as is. Stacked in formations that address the site and time of the installation, they remain unfixed to each other; as such, they present delicate juxtapositions perilously balanced.”
At first glance, Schaming’s constructions have a lot of curb appeal. “Orange Crown Tower,” “Yo Plug Tower” and “Looking Around Tower” playfully wink at gay sexuality -- and as such hook up with the sexualized content familiar to the queer art genre. By the second date, one might become aware of the domesticity of the assembled objects, and by the third, the naïve intent, implied innocence, and a “look at what I did” cleverness on display. They appear to want to be liked--seductive in a charged and conflicted sort of way.
“Orange Crown Tower,” Found plastic and Tupperware, 41 x 18 x 18 inches, 2019
Queerness then, as seen in Schaming’s teetering assemblages, celebrates the hire-wire shenanigans and blinding glare of the fleeting spot-light. Self-aware of the limits inherent to its winsome charms and the temporality of its fragile beauty, works like “I Am Yours Tower” borrow its contrariness cues from the a “come hither/go away” playbook. An irresistible house of cards posing as an erection--its very allure lies in the mirage of its own making--the tension of abandonment balanced against the vagaries of desire.
“I Am Yours Tower,” Found Tupperware, 37 x 14 x 14 IN, 2019
The inherent threat of collapse in Schaming’s work complicates the relationship of the viewer to his art and, by extension, the complicated relationship queers have with themselves and the greater culture. One begins to get a whiff of Narcissus, that these impermanent totems mirror an existence that is warped as a frighteningly giddy walk through a fun house. Fragile, yet forever on the make, queers take their measure by watching others watch them--and soon they are living outside the house.
“Looking Around Tower,” Found plastic, cardboard and Tupperware, 31 x 10 x 15 IN, 2019
ABOUT WADE SCHAMING:
Schaming studied at Edinboro University of Pennsylvania, Edinboro, PA, the University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA (BA 2006) and the School of Visual Arts, New York, NY (MFA 2010). His work has been exhibited throughout the United States, including at the Bronx Museum of the Arts, Bronx, NY, Field Projects, New York, NY, The Museum of Human Achievement, Austin, TX and Primary Projects, Miami, FL. He has been profiled and interviewed by Paper Magazine, International Sculpture Center and The New York Times. Residency awards include the Keyholder Residency at the Lower East Side Printshop, New York, NY (2015), Yaddo, Saratoga Springs, NY (2016), Constance Saltonstall Foundation for the Arts, Ithaca, NY (2017) and The Edward F. Albee Foundation, Montauk, NY (2017). He lives in New York City.
Interested in learning more about Shaming, his artworks, and his studio practices? Click here to see his episode of Artist Equity Studio Breaks!