February 9 – March 9, 2013
Steve Turner Contemporary is pleased to present Immune Stability, an installation by Lauren Elder and Amalia Ulman curated by Lucy Chinen. The installation will be arranged as a showroom consisting of two sculptures, four garments and a video demonstrating the functionality of the garments. These objects will be presented together as a survival kit, designed to cover the essential needs of a nomadic person in a state of emergency.
The form of the objects and garments is determined by their function: protecting a highly active person living in difficult terrain. Such forms can be seen in sportswear, hiking and camping gear, extreme weather protection and military design. The materials used throughout the installation adapt to hot and cold weather and change in appearance from day to night. One garment combines various fabrics, including Ecorepel, a textile that mimics the water-repellent properties of a duck’s feathers, and Coldblack, a textile that provides protection from UV rays while remaining cool to the touch. Immune Stability addresses the undercurrent of anxiety that pervades everyday life as one anticipates the next social, environmental or economic crisis.
Born in 1990 in Los Angeles, Lauren Elder lives and works between Los Angeles and Chicago. She received a BFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago in new media and sculpture. Elder’s work explores the presentation of artifacts in museum and commercial settings. Her work has been exhibited at UMOCA, Salt Lake City; Robert Bills Contemporary, Chicago; MOMA PS1, New York with Perdam Publishing; Oliver Francis Gallery, Dallas and Courtney Blades, Chicago.
Born in 1989 in Mar de Ajo, Argentina, Amalia Ulman lives and works between London and Gijon, Spain. She received a BFA from Central Saint Martins School of Art and Design in London. In her work, Ulman utilizes objects, symbols and behavior to reveal societal anomalies. She recently participated in the panel discussion 89+ co-curated by Hans Ulrich Obrist and Simon Castets at the DLD13 conference in Munich. Recent solo exhibitions include Savings & Shelves at Headquarters, Zurich; Overcome Cleanse at Galeria Adriana Suarez, Gijón, Spain and a two-person show with Katja Novitskova entitled Profit | Decay at Arcadia Missa, London.
Lucy Chinen is a new media specialist based in Los Angeles. Between 2010 and 2012, she was the Associate Director of Steve Turner Contemporary where she will curate an exhibition in July 2013 featuring artists who engage with web applications and interfaces. The exhibition will be accompanied by a digital catalog which will be available for free download.
