Housekeeping: An Exhibition at Emmanuel Art Gallery with Sculptor and CU Denver Professor Rian Kerrane
Alice Crogan | College of Arts & Media Nov 13, 2024
The Emmanuel Art Gallery at CU Denver’s College of Arts & Media (CAM) presents Housekeeping, a solo exhibition by Irish sculptor and CU Denver Art Practices Professor Rian Kerrane. Known for work that blends artifacts and sculpture, Kerrane draws on the discarded and overlooked objects of daily life, transforming them into installations that reflect societal values, consumption, and environmental responsibility. Housekeeping, running at Emmanuel Art Gallery from November 20 through March 8, invites viewers to engage actively with the artworks, initiating discourse on climate change, consumer culture, and the role of art and objects in raising social consciousness.
Kerrane describes herself as a “contemporary archaeologist,” whose practice involves collecting, archiving, and repurposing the remnants of consumer culture—ranging from textiles to metals, wood, and plastics. Her attention to abandoned objects is deeply tied to her Irish heritage and a childhood immersed in archaeological history, a connection that infuses her work with a rich narrative quality. Over her thirty-year career, she has developed an acute awareness of the methods and materials of fabrication, infusing her work with respect for craftsmanship and a dedication to critiquing modern consumerism.
Transforming the Gallery Into a Space of Exploration and Interaction
Visitors to the Emmanuel Art Gallery will view large multimedia installations and smaller pieces that invite the observer to participate with Kerrane’s work. “The Contents of My Drawers” explores Kerrane’s fascination with personal artifacts and invites other’s inquisitiveness. This “cabinet of curiosities” is a library of collected objects from her studio, each holding individual histories and a sense of emotional worth, raising the question why we hold on to trivial items. Visitors are invited to select items from the display and, in exchange, record their reason for choosing the object in a communal journal.
“Word of the Day”, a wall installation of branded alphabet prints, asks viewers to choose and display words that reflect their personal moods and societal sentiments. Through this daily selection, a collective poem takes shape, catalogued by the artist and expressing a shared consciousness that develops over the exhibition’s duration.
“Our dependency on the emoji to replace whole words or sentences can simultaneously encapsulate and communicate both flippancy and a huge weight of emotion. As a culture we depend more on visual icons than ever,” said Kerrane. “I cast this set of letters and graphic symbols to explore the phenomenon. The interactive component of these works empowers the audience and perhaps motivates play, thoughtfulness, exchange, and collaboration. Reading the temperature of our community through our messaging making “Housekeeping” and the gallery space a pseudo-scientific laboratory.”
Expressing Collective Responsibility
Housekeeping refers to the keeping of one’s own home and the shared responsibility the collective has in caring for the environment and the wellbeing of the community. Environmental themes are central to the exhibition and have been to Kerrane’s work for many years. One featured work uses galvanized mop buckets and and another displays 13 bobbing iron-work letters to spell “C L I M A T E C H A N G E.” The domestic elements sharing space with images from other works featuring rugged Irish landscapes underscore the insular actions that make an impact on a greater scale.
Born in Galway, Ireland, Kerrane is significant influence to cast iron art worldwide. As a member of Artnauts, a Denver-based artist collective that uses art to address global issues and foster international connections, Kerrane's work has been exhibited both nationally and internationally, including in Latvia, Italy, Austria, Mexico, and Ireland. In Denver, Kerrane has made significant contributions to the local art scene, including commissions by the Downtown Denver Business Improvement District and History Colorado. Her impressive body of work underscores the ability to intertwine artistic vision with community and historical engagement.
Kerrane’s work blends bold sculptural skill with a profound sensitivity to social and environmental issues, pushing viewers to examine their own roles in the cycle of consumption. Housekeeping not only reinforces Kerrane’s commitment environmental mindfulness but also embodies the Emmanuel Art Gallery’s mission to challenge societal norms and encourage reflection.
“Rian’s choice of material for her work emphasizes the permanence of our seemingly insignificant choices. Mop buckets, boat oars, and minaret-like houses are cast from imperishable iron. Hot water radiators used to heat a home are cast in bronze, becoming classical monuments to our comforts,” said Emmanuel Art Gallery Director Jeff Lambson. “Our daily consumption of natural resources and the environment leaves a permanent scar on the landscape from thoughtless overuse.”
Opening Celebration November 20, 4–7 P.M.
Housekeeping will be on view at CU Denver’s Emmanuel Art Gallery, a pivotal art space in the heart of the Auraria Campus, serving as catalyst for connection, reflection, and discovery, promoting a deeper understanding of our shared humanity through art.
If you plan to go:
Housekeeping
Emmanuel Art Gallery
1205 10th St Plaza, Denver, CO 80204
November 20 2024 –March 8, 2025
Opening celebration November 20, 4–7 P.M.
Visit the Emmanuel Art Gallery’s website for gallery hours and directions.
All events are free and open to the public.