March 25 - April 29, 2023
From Fort Works Art:
“FORT WORKS ART is pleased to present THE RUINS OF BURG WORTH, a solo exhibition by North Texas artist and curator, Joshua Goode. Goode’s first show at the gallery will feature a collection of created artifacts and remnants of an “ancient” past, while incorporating elements of performance art and an interactive installation. This exhibition opens on Gallery Night, Saturday, March 25, 2023, with a reception from 12 PM to 9 PM, and will be on display until Saturday, April 29, 2023.
THE RUINS OF BURG WORTH is a reimagined history of Fort Worth– one where our city sits upon an ancient fortress both destroyed and preserved by the eruption of Eagle Mountain. By creating sarcophagi and various remains reminiscent of the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 A.D., Goode creates a new and imagined world that is full of extinct animals, objects, and artifacts. He challenges what we have learned throughout history in his development of these fictitious civilizations. Through his own research of local culture and his experience in the archaeological field, Goode aims to expose “the malleability of our past, present and future” and the ease at which history can be distorted.
Goode’s work deals with intense themes of death, burial, preservation, and memory. Interwoven into this work are his personal memories and experiences from his youth, within his own family, and as a father. The exploration of these relationships, specifically that with his sister, informs his creations, and has been the cornerstone of his work since his early career. We see moments of a youth spent at Lakota Sioux sweat lodges, spiritual ceremonies, and religious rituals manifested in his hand-crafted leather and beadwork. We see his deep roots in North Texas that date back to the late 19th century, expressed in his selection of local found objects that he repurposes. Barn wood and even full-sized barn doors become “ancient” relics that all tie back to his family’s history in the region, reaffirming the importance of materials used once upon a time.
Counter to these intense themes of shared existence, we see the more isolated parts of Goode’s past. Dealing with such mature experiences as a child, he retreated into his own world by becoming engrossed in various television programming that provided him with comfort and distraction. These programs acted in opposition to his own often harsh realities and aided in developing a more humorous artistic language that is full of pop culture iconography.
Using humor to deflect the emotionally taxing aspects of his work, Goode is able to merge these worlds. This is clearly apparent in the piece “Hulktaur”, a bronze sculpture representing an invented creature. Goode takes these physical manifestations further, by surrounding them with a contextual description. He describes this particular work as being, “Discovered during an excavation in London,” and being “a representation of the legendary half man, half dinosaur, that were thought to inhabit remote wooded areas. In much of Rhoman art, they appear in combat with humans and, by implication, are the antithesis of civilized men.” This tongue-in-cheek dialogue created by Goode in his work is both unique and relatable.
In announcing The Ruins of Burg Worth, Fort Works Art owner & director Lauren Saba stated, “The stories Goode creates concurrent with his artworks, take us on a journey to a new, yet ancient world. A journey where you can explore, imagine, and create. A world where your most vivid imaginations are physicalized, and your mind is allowed to dream.”
Inspired by 19th-century natural history museums, Goode will display a wide variety of “discoveries”, which at first glance, are both curious and deceptive. The exhibition will include various collections of items, including cast bronze works that are tarnished with the green coating of oxidation, smaller pewter works hand-painted with gold, and larger works displayed with a monumental significance that is indicative of a more developed and evolved civilization from the past. These treasures will be presented as invaluable mementos. By bearing witness to these recently uncovered and impressively intact relics, the viewer can act as the expert historian, archaeologist, or even storyteller, as conversations of a shared history are prompted.
Combined with the works Goode will have on display, there will also be an installation that will allow visitors to participate in the “discovery” of a selection of artifacts. These interactive elements will allow each individual to leave traces of their presence at the exhibition, and the gallery will be transformed into a collaborative art incubator for the community.
About the artist:
Born in Fort Worth, Texas in 1981, Joshua Goode is researching and developing mythic historical misinterpretations and manipulations. Having studied history and worked as an archaeologist on many actual excavations, he conducts staged excavations around the world, working with the community as a performance. His ‘artifacts’ have been exhibited in solo exhibitions in international venues such as the Razliv Museum, St. Petersburg, (Russia); Capellades Museum, Barcelona, (Spain); Zendai Museum of Modern Art,Shanghai, (China); Darb 1718 in Cairo, (Egypt); LaSala Gallery, Zaragoza, (Spain); Galerija Miroslav Kraljevic, Zagreb, (Croatia); Borey Gallery, St. Petersburg, (Russia),the Monchskirchein Museum, Salzwedel, (Germany), James Freeman Gallery, London, (England), Maxim Boxer Gallery, Moscow, (Russia), Galerie Van Caelenberg, Aalst (Belgium), and Ivy Brown Gallery, New York, (USA).
Goode received his MFA from Boston University and has participated in residencies in Russia, Germany, Finland, Norway, and Spain and was a researcher on an archaeological dig for the University of Tübingen at Vogelherd Cave in Germany. He received the Dozier Award from the Dallas Museum of Art and is currently the Chair of the Fine Arts Department at Tarrant County College in Fort Worth, Texas. “
Reception: March 25, 2023 | 12–9 pm
2100 Montgomery Street
Fort Worth, 76107 Texas
(817) 759-9475
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