"After the Gold Rush"

After the Gold Rush: curated by Francesca Arcilesi & Norma Homberg, this two-person installation features NYC-based artists Arlene Rush and Caroline Voagen Nelson.

Replete with motifs of limitless consumption, consumerism, and capitalism, “After the Gold Rush” invites viewers to reflect on their latent materialistic desires and questions what we should be striving for in life. “After the Gold Rush” features a captivating compilation of sculptures and mixed-media wall pieces from Arlene Rush’s series “Where Liberty Dwells”, presented alongside Caroline Voagen Nelson’s mixed-media video-mapped sculpture, “Heavy Lies the Wig of Opulence”. Inspired by the Wild Card theme “In Excess”, “After the Gold Rush” holds up a gilded funhouse mirror to society’s insatiable ambition for narcissistic pleasures. The installation invites visitors into a consumerist playground. Here, they can observe, but not touch, various luxurious objects.

Arlene Rush’s appropriated and hand-sculpted gold metal-leaf works, presented on hand sewn, opulent velvet tasseled pillows, appear to be made of real gold; however, upon closer inspection, they are revealed as trinkets possessing little material worth. The wealth of these objects, which include a miniature jet, an AK-47 rifle, and a supersized burger, among other items, lies not in their monetary value but in their conceptual significance, referencing urgent concerns of the world at large. The installation will feature approximately sixteen sculptures at the center of the room, with each distinct artwork denoting different aspects of modern society's weakness for overindulgence, ranging from fast food and drugs to aircraft. On the surrounding red walls, twelve 12 x 12” mixed-media collage boards, each covered with one-dollar bills, and glistening golden crystals with gold objects all engross the viewer’s perception. Visitors are lured by these materialistic sirens, awaiting a phantom wake-up call that never arrives.

Visitors are encouraged to navigate the installation with a heightened visual sense of ‘slow viewing,’ engaging with the nuances of the objects and the material appearance of things on display at miniature scale. The installation aims to provoke reflection on the impact of excessive consumption and the consequences it has on society, including global warming, starvation, and the climate crisis, among others—large yet invisible consequences of these miniature objects presented here.

On a small gold table, visitors will find gold pens and a journal inviting them to respond to a quote by South African rugby player and humanitarian Siya Kolisi. He states, "Dream big, but dream responsibly," directly touching on the need for social responsibility by corporations and the global wealthy—the one percent referenced in “After the Gold Rush”. Viewers can contemplate if corporate greed supersedes human decency and empathy. What are the direct results of obscene wealth levels? How does it affect the well-being of the everyday person? Some examples of social irresponsibility might include: AK-47s being banned in the US, the frivolous use of private jets ejecting unnecessary carbon, and even super-sized genetically modified fast food that encourage unhealthy lifestyles, often leading to diabetes, heart disease, and death. The viewer's responses will ultimately complete the exhibition.

Reaching beyond the shiny surface of greed, “After The Gold Rush” uses visually captivating objects and a lavish environment to explore the themes of consumerism, capitalism, and greed. The installation offers an analysis of the plutocracies' excessive tendencies, while also inviting viewers to reflect on their own relationship with consumption and its impact on their immediate lives as well as on the world.