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Artist Statement
Dunphy’s recognizable interdisciplinary approach and social engagement imagines a playful place using materials from video, steel, sewing, hopes and dreams. Inciting the potential absurdity of wishful thinking yet always, if not overly optimistic, Dunphys work combines high tech post studio fabrication with “women’s work”. Trained in the performance of the female body, Dunphy utilizes her physical form to drive scale. Whether miniature or monumental always feminine, her work demands to insight joy as an endless pursuit. A practice of looking big and small, bending over to collect lucky pennies from parking lots, pulling over in front of a Mellow Mushroom on Peachtree to meet a sign spinner, Dunphy finds inspiration in the extraordinary ordinary. Happily burdened with a love of dominant minimalism, Dunphy throws in public domain icons and low rider car culture to have fun with her personal art history.
About Wishful Thinking, 2020-21, Digital Video
The sign spinner tosses optimism in the air, spinning wildly seemingly out of control only to just barely catch it until it sails away again. As graceful as a dance, savvy as a street corner, the new video work expresses practice may make perfect. Filmed in a community center gym, the new video work colorization and graphic sensibility is inspired by the art heist film in 1968 Thomas Crown Affair’s title sequence.
About Trouvaille (a lucky find), 2019-21, 8 lucky pennies, copper
Many years ago I was walking the William Bartram Trail when I stopped and pointed to the ground. There was a red gummy bear. It was said that my spirit animal has been made visible. Pennies made prior to 1982 were made of pure copper. I have been picking up lucky pennies from sidewalks and parking lots. Eight lucky pennies are present in this cast of a gummy bear.
It’s hard for a woman to make it. It’s hard for this body to keep up. It’s hard to fix things. I can just cross my fingers that it will get better. And in the meantime, let’s have a lot of fun. Work hard play hard as they say.