Fuse Works began as the Multiples and Editions program at the Front Room Gallery in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, in January 2007 with an exhibition showcasing editioned works by over 30 artists. The program has since become independent of the Front Room Gallery but maintains a physical presence there, as well as at other locations; and presents this virtual storefront.
Fuse Works exhibits and promotes multiples and editions by artists who approach the editioned work as field of artistic discourse and inquiry rather than simply as a way to mass-produce their artwork. Many of the artists you see on this site are contemplating the competing influences of consumer culture, mass-marketing, rarification and populism—approaching these issues in a variety of different media. Some of the artists explore what, if anything, distinguishes art objects from other kinds of material possessions that can be bought and sold (then resold on the secondary market). Some are unconcerned with the "status" of the objects that they make and seek to pass their subversive objects into the unsuspecting hands of non-art consumers. Many of the artists are keenly aware of the potential for their objects to gradually evolve into valued art market commodities, nullifying any populist aims they might have intended. Others are eager for this metamorphosis to take place. Some even deal with the design and/or fiat value of money itself. Fuse Works represents a platform for artists who think critically about the place of art in contemporary culture and the place of contemporary culture in art.
Fuse Works exhibits and promotes multiples and editions by artists who approach the editioned work as field of artistic discourse and inquiry rather than simply as a way to mass-produce their artwork. Many of the artists you see on this site are contemplating the competing influences of consumer culture, mass-marketing, rarification and populism—approaching these issues in a variety of different media. Some of the artists explore what, if anything, distinguishes art objects from other kinds of material possessions that can be bought and sold (then resold on the secondary market). Some are unconcerned with the "status" of the objects that they make and seek to pass their subversive objects into the unsuspecting hands of non-art consumers. Many of the artists are keenly aware of the potential for their objects to gradually evolve into valued art market commodities, nullifying any populist aims they might have intended. Others are eager for this metamorphosis to take place. Some even deal with the design and/or fiat value of money itself. Fuse Works represents a platform for artists who think critically about the place of art in contemporary culture and the place of contemporary culture in art.
review of 2001 web project "T&A" (2001)
