Paul Scott: New American Scenery Exhibition Opens at the Albany Institute of History & Art
Cumbrian Blue(s) New American Scenery, Toll, 01/22, Paul Scott 2022. Screen print (decal/transfer) on shell edged pearlware platter c.1820. Courtesy of Paul Scott and Ferrin Contemporary.
ALBANY — The Albany Institute of History & Art presents the exhibition “Paul Scott: New American Scenery,” in which material-based conceptual artist Scott assesses the American landscape from a contemporary approach. The exhibit will run until Dec. 31, 2022.
Through the work in the exhibit, Scott deals with issues of globalization, energy generation and consumption, capitalism, and immigration, and the human impact on the environment. Scott, who lives and works in Cumbia, United Kingdom, creates printed ceramics that blur the boundaries between art, craft, and design. His works are included in numerous museum collections and have been exhibited throughout Europe and the United States.
The images that Scott creates for his ceramic plates, platters, and pitchers depict unsettling views of nuclear power plants, landfills, abandoned industrial sites, aging urban centers, and isolating walls. As representations of the American landscape, they suggest a subversion of the picturesque aesthetic—the unpicturesque picturesque—and a new, disturbing norm, a new way of envisioning ourselves, our physical environment, and our society.
The Albany Institute of History & Art is located at 125 Washington Ave. Free parking is available in the museum’s lot at the corner of Elk and Dove Streets. The exhibition galleries and Museum Shop are open Wednesday – Saturday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday 12 to 5 p.m.