Shiny Monsters: An Installation by Adam Wallacavage
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Inspired by the Gothic interiors of now-closed Catholic churches he visited throughout Philadelphia, Adam Wallacavage channeled his fascination with chandeliers by creating Jules Verne-inspired lighting for the dining room in his Victorian Brownstone. To construct these octopus sculptures, Wallacavage taught himself the traditional techniques of ornamental plastering, which included large-cast plaster work and hand-sculpted pieces from epoxy-clay. Those initial sculptures inspired Wallacavage to continue to experiment in form, color, and technique, even developing his own unique glazes and application technique to give his pieces a unique vibrant shimmer.
More recently, Wallacavage has added his love of kitsch to his sculptures. Casts of cartoon bunnies and elephants, Hello Kitty heads, and vintage toys are incorporated into his pieces, which are then covered in bright glazes in shades such as bubble-gum pink and mint green. The resulting sculptures reflect his varied aesthetic interests, ranging from 16th Century Baroque opulence to 1940s Americana. For his first solo exhibition in Philadelphia, Wallacavage took inspiration from his lavishly decorated home by presenting several new chandeliers within each gallery.
Wallacavage received a BFA in Photography at University of the Arts. He has shown his chandeliers and other sculptural work both nationally and internationally, and is represented by Jonathan Levine Gallery, New York, NY. He has had exhibitions at Parlor Gallery Asbury Park, NJ (2011); The Shop. New Orleans, LA (2011); Corey Helford Gallery, Culver City, CA (2011); La Gaîté lyrique, Paris, France (2011); Choque Cultural Gallery, Sao Paulo, Brazil (2011); Bristol City Museum of Art in Bristol, UK (2010); Scion Installation Space, Culver City, CA (2011); and Laguna Art Museum, Laguna Beach, CA (2008).
Co-founder of the artist collective Space 1026, Adam Wallacavage is also an accomplished photographer, documenting artists, musicians, and skateboarders. His first book, Monster Size Monsters, was released in 2006 through Gingko Press.
