Chance dunlap: friends, #notcactus
April 15 - May 20, 2023
Press Release
Ro2 Art is thrilled to present Friends, #notcactus, an exhibition of new work by Chance Dunlap. The exhibition will open April 15 and remain on view through May 20, 2023, at Ro2 Art located at 2606 Bataan St., Dallas, TX.
In his latest body of work, Friends, #notcanvas, Chance Dunlap has created 100 small cactus-like creatures. What may appear at first glance to be ordinary succulents, are instead potential figures with humorous expressions and attitudes. To offset their general form association with cacti, some have moving parts, unusual textures, and unnatural colors. They are both familiar and surprising. In the words of Chance Dunlap, “They possess all of my creative energy and reflect all of the other work I have done in my 20 years as an artist.” |
Artist Statement
My current work is fun for me and hopefully fun for viewers. They are carved from eastern red cedar wood. I usually have a form idea to start with, but lose interest if the form doesn’t change as I work. I understand the limitations of the material and accept my own personal limitations. I just cannot do what I cannot do, but this allows an opportunity for fun things to happen when I try. These forms look like they could be part of our organic world, but they are unlike any living things. Some have moving parts, unusual textures and colors, but none can actually change on their own. They are art.
I began referring to them as friends after completing a few. I usually set them on our dining table and we enjoy meals and home life around them. Their presence is engaging and enjoyable like that of a good friend. I have been posting images of this project on social media and started using the hashtag #notcactus in response to everyone stating “I like your cactus.” They are not cactus but have a general form association. I think they have just as much association to the paintings and art forms that I like. This group of friends #notcactus features one hundred examples. They possess all of my creative energy and reflect all of the other work I have done in my 20 years as an artist. |
About the Artist
Chance Dunlap received his MFA in Studio Art from the College of Visual Art and Design at the University of North Texas in 2014 after receiving his BA in Visual Art from Southeastern Oklahoma State University in 2011. He has exhibited throughout Texas, with recent solo exhibitions including Best Chance, Galveston Arts Center, Galveston, TX (2018, solo); Alluring Objects, Tyler Museum of Art, Tyler, TX (2017, solo); Recent Works, Wise Gallery, Tyler Junior College (2016, solo); and Oklahoma Breakdown, Ro2 Art Gallery, Dallas, TX (2015, solo). He is currently an Art Professor and Director of the Glass Case Gallery at Tyler Junior College in Tyler, TX, where he lives and works. This will be his third solo exhibition with the gallery.
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