Date of Award
Spring 5-8-2024
Degree Name
Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA)
Restricted/Unrestricted
Unrestricted
Abstract
The seven-foot-tall sculptural painting Good Enough explores the cultural significance of trophies in contemporary American society. As an ancient object representing achievement and reward, the irony of trophies’ current junk-status pokes at absurd contradictions embedded in American culture. I offer context on the evolution of “the readymade” from Dada to Pop Art to 90s assemblage, and position Good Enough’s handmade, tender approach as a celebratory twist to that lineage of cultural critique.
Mentor/Primary Advisor
Heather Bennett, Cheryl Wassenaar
Recommended Citation
Levin, Haley, "Good Enough" (2024). Bachelor of Fine Arts Senior Papers. 119.
https://openscholarship.wustl.edu/bfa/119
Artist's Statement
Through painting, printmaking, and sculpture, Haley Levin studies a mish-mash of American cultural material: space exploration, Looney Tunes, Midwest beauty pageants, freshwater fish. A large portion of her computer memory includes a complex archival record of American pools; the androgynous swimmer is a recent motif that gestures towards illusory national values of beauty, wellness, leisure, and access. These disparate sources collide and expound imaginary environments fraught with contradiction: the silly and the startling, two and three dimensions, forms that are ubiquitous yet unfamiliar. She pokes holes in our complex social histories, contradictions, and associations in order to collectively acknowledge their absurdity.