Luam Melake: Resemblance of Things Past
Opening January 22
82 Franklin Street
Featuring
Resemblance of Things Past is a timely response to the contemporary cultural landscape in the United States, where a lack of leadership around a collective vision for the future contributes to a collective sense of despair. Luam Melake believes that this era of concentrated capital and Big Tech’s emphasis on novelty and convenience has devalued the merits of problem-solving and made bold, forward-thinking ideas too risky to be implemented widely. Cultural and political stagnation are the result. From political candidates to mass-market furniture, the past is more perceptible in culture than the present, and the future seems fraught with crises. Melake proposes a way of bringing the past with us into the future.
The show proposes a pathway to optimism, forged through interdisciplinary approaches to problem-solving and a critical examination of history. Four vignettes comprise the exhibition, each recontextualizing an enduring historical theme in design and decoration for the present. Objects in each vignette will display Melake’s continued interest in expanding the potential for design objects to improve social interactions, adapt flexibly to space, and present interdisciplinary learning.