MOIST

Curated by Nola Avienne

Life is moist, but the word "moist" is the most hated in the English language according to the New Yorker, the New York Times and Jimmy Fallon.

In the exhibit MOIST, participating artists respond to the positive aspects of "moist" through various life forms, violence, salivation, dough, reclaimed life, motherhood, sweat and drought.


WICK

Silk, dye and metal basin
11’ x 3’
2022

Indigo dye wicks up through silk by capillary action until arrested by the force of gravity. Moisture moves upward in plants and humans by this phenomenon, a gravity-defying natural force. A candle wick moves wax upwards in order for a candle to burn.

By week three, the rust from the basin and minerals from the dye had wicked up the silk – a completely unexpected artifact.


Farmer’s Almanac

Sprouted beans and lentils, phyllo dough
12” x 16” x 1”
2022

This Farmers’ Almanac replaces text with a script described by the stems and roots of sprouted beans and lentils growing on phyllo dough – elucidating fertility, the life of words, and moistness.

The paper-and-text Farmers’ Almanac, first published in 1792, contains long-range weather predictions and advice on gardening, cooking, fishing, and conservation. It is the oldest continuously published periodical in North America.