Var West Gallery occupies a new exhibition space, sort of. It is located in the same block as the old Pitch Project, adjacent to the now-defunct Brenner Brewing taproom. It occupies some of the back hallways and areas not usually seen by public eyes, an area full of possibilities for Var Gallery owner Josh Hintz. As a side note, the former Pitch Project proper is reopening as Hawthorn Contemporary on March 31 with a solo exhibition by Nicola López.
However, back to the matter at hand: While Var West Gallery is an offshoot of Var Gallery & Studios on Second Street, this incarnation has a more raw, even adventurous feeling with its initial opening, “The To-Do List.” It is a solo exhibition by Siara ReNae Berry. In a condensed fashion, she offers a tight musing on the rigor and repetition of daily household chores with a sophisticated air and intriguing perspective.
Take for example a four-handled broom. How does that work? You could manage by yourself, I suppose, but it would certainly be easier to imagine with a cooperative partner or compatriot. That is the point of many of Berry’s works, even suggested by titles like Push/Pull (How Will We Manage). There are various household implements, a number of brooms and the like, but configured in a way that their practical aspects become much more difficult as solitary pursuits.
Sometimes the materials of domestic maintenance take otherworldly forms as though worms landed from outer space. Using foam materials like sponge, their installation places them in manners that appear to bend through floors and walls, occupying space defiantly.
Stay on top of the news of the day
Subscribe to our free, daily e-newsletter to get Milwaukee's latest local news, restaurants, music, arts and entertainment and events delivered right to your inbox every weekday, plus a bonus Week in Review email on Saturdays.
While the necessities of chores are sometimes presented as endeavors undertaken as a team, their never-ending aspect is also noted. A broom is crafted from carved wood, curling into a bend toward the bristles, which are woven into a similarly infinite shape. We have all been there, when the cleaning rituals are revealed for the endless things they are. Berry’s sculptures turn them into moments that are elegant and expressive, not dour in the least, but poetically insistent and resigned.
Through April 28 at Var Gallery West, 423 W. Pierce St.
