September 2, 2023 – November 11, 2023
Emma Rossoff has an MFA in sculpture and expanded media from the University of Texas at Austin, and a BA in visual art and art history from Columbia University. Before attending Columbia, she completed her foundation year at the Rhode Island School of Design and studied fashion design at Central Saint Martins in London. She currently works as a furniture fabricator in Austin, TX.
The work on display for the 19th Cage Match Installation comes out of an interest in traps, escapes, and the circus. Debut’s Dream House features a larger than life wooden doll based on the artist, Emma Rossoff’s childhood toy: This work is based on a doll my aunt made for me when I was six [years old]. I recreated the doll in wood twelve times its original size, with the same features. My aunt, Sally Hagy-Boyer, is an artist and named the doll “Debut”. She also sewed a fabric wardrobe and several outfits for her. A wooden wardrobe furnishes the cage.
Debut’s shape fascinates me, it is a symbol that points in so many directions. I often wonder about the cages we build for ourselves, and how we create escape routes. The shape of the big doll is mimicked in hundreds of little clothespins dolls. Please untie one from the cage and take it home. Viewers are invited to untie one of the clothespin dolls. These takeaways are an opportunity for the viewer to carry part of a tangible experience and memory with them to their respective homes.
All photos courtesy of the artist