Images, memories, and found objects come together in the artwork of Allen C. Topolski in an installation at the Sibley Centre, 228 E. Main St., through Friday, Nov. 8.
The installation, situated in a storefront window downtown, attempts to blur the boundaries between art exhibition and commercial display. The found materials used, titled "Happiness is Electric Living," are mostly household objects from the 1950s that have been discarded from homes in the Rochester area. They force viewers to recall personal experiences while encouraging them to reflect on function and form.
In the installation, Topolski's three-dimensional work "emphasizes the commercial and production aesthetic of a time prior to planned obsolescence and a technology that supported fantasies of increased domestic leisure and 'the good life,' " he said. The work encourages viewers to contemplate relationships between the mass produced and the crafted, the mundane and the unique.
Topolski's installation is part of a Rochester Contemporary satellite exhibition titled "Cultural View: Windows on Rochester." Rochester Contemporary, formerly the Pyramid Arts Center, is Rochester's only non-profit arts center dedicated to fostering the creation and appreciation of contemporary art.
Topolski is associate professor of art and studio coordinator at the University of Rochester. His work has been shown in Dallas and in galleries on the campuses of Hartwick College, Bucknell University, Pennsylvania State University, Western Kentucky University, and other venues. For more information, contact (585) 461-2222.