THE MECHANICS OF HEAVEN
TOBEY ALBRIGHT
Gallery 2
In the exhibition “The Mechanics of Heaven,” Tobey Albright will exhibit recent collaborations in paintings, sculpture and video. Albright has collaborated with local artists, such as Chris Gray and Tim Jaeger, as well as members of his family, friends, and strangers to create a dialogue between our heavenly ideals and their material realities. In addition to his collaborative work with others, Albright will also be showing figurative sculpture in which he playfully collaborates with himself.
Tobey Albright in Collaboration with Monk
Trout in the River
Acrylic, Tortilla, Grey Tape and Glass Frame
10” x 10”
Tobey Albright in Collaboration with Monk
Helicopter
Acrylic, Tortilla, Grey Tape and Glass Frame
10” x 10”
Tobey Albright in Collaboration with Alex Karotis
Once in a conversation, Alex mentioned that he thought heaven would mean the ability to transport one’s self from place to place by doing nothing more than thinking. An action similar to the “transporter’s” capabilities in “Star Trek.” The image from this painting was taken from an email Alex sent to me regarding the happiest day of his life. The photograph was of Alex (in the left corner), in 1946, at his sister’s birthday party. Coincidently, Alex was capable of sharing this experience with me via the Internet; our closest attempt to transporting one’s self with nothing more than thought.
Acrylic on Plastic on Lucite
36”
Tobey Albright in Collaboration with Robin Albright
Never Apologize for Your Art
Acrylic on Canvas
14” x 11”
(TOP LEFT)
Monk in Collaboration with Tobey Albright
Heaven Binoculars
Acrylic on Found Object
Dimensions Variable
Monk in Collaboration with Tobey Albright
The Seventy Virgins
Mixed Media Collage on Coasters in Wooden Box
Dimensions Variable
Robin Albright in Collaboration with Tobey Albright
Robin Albright, my mother, is completely obsessed with balls, spheres and circles. She says they act as her connection with the Universe, that we are all living in a cycle of connecting ends. She believes this so much that she has drawn up a contract with me to carry out upon her death. In this contract, I am to cast her ashes into a ball and then donate the ball to a museum. This will help her to continue making ends meet in a positive manner, even beyond her own death.
Acrylic on Plastic Ball
8”
Tobey Albright in Collaboration with David Chaplin and Zoey Carrier
David Chaplin believes that Heaven is beyond that which the mind is capable of understanding, that it’s another dimension, a complete abstraction. Abstraction is a form of painting in which I personally feel incapable of performing primarily because I have knowledge of its place and importance in Art history. My niece, Zoey Carrier, doesn’t. The large “Abstract” brush mark was replicated from a painting she sent me to be hung on my refrigerator. Zoey is incapable at this point of enacting the scripted process of abstract painting, which lends itself well to a more “pure” abstraction.
Acrylic on Plastic on Lucite
41”
Tobey Albright in Collaboration with Tobey Albright
A helmet with antennae, capable of connecting it’s wearer to the Heavens or, manifesting their own heaven into an invisible sphere that floats just above the wearers head.
Plastic on Helmet
Dimensions Variable
Tobey Albright in Collaboration with Aunt Jan
Aunt Jan was killed with her husband, Roy, on the way to my parents wedding. One year later, I was born on Jan’s birthday. Throughout my life I always felt close to Jan, continually having conversations with her, similar to the way children talk to imaginary friends. When I was a child I would continually ask my parents where she was, in which they replied: she’s in Heaven.
Oil and Acrylic on Plastic
6.75”
Tobey Albright in Collaboration with Maude McCain
Grandma weaves these circular rugs out of grocery bags.
Plastic Grocery Bags
Dimensions Variable
Tobey Albright in Collaboration with Maude McCain
Grandma weaves these circular rugs out of grocery bags.
Plastic Grocery Bags
Dimensions Variable
Tobey Albright in Collaboration with Tobey Albright
The apex of all made things, slowly transcending its materiality and elevating into the realm of our public imagination and personal memories.
Acrylic, Tape, Plastic, Fishing String and 72” Beach Ball
Dimensions Variable
Tobey Albright in Collaboration with Tobey Albright
A small and spindly tree just now beginning to bear fruit.
Acrylic and Plastic on Found Tree
Dimensions Variable
