VOLTA NYC—Highlight: Contemporary art. Conservation provocateur. SAM TUFNELL

Words by: Whitney Brielle
On the ground coverage by: Organic Shawty

“In the end it’s our refuse that will outlive us all, so respect it because one day it will be all that is left of you,” warns contemporary artist and conservation provocateur, Sam Tufnell. Recently, EYES & EDGE attended VOLTA NYC—One of the last arts gatherings before the wide spread concern of COVID-19, Corona Virus. There, we were able to witness an incredible array, (from over 53 international galleries,) of contemporary art—including Sam’s. And while we were dazzled by much beauty—the big message we can’t stop talking about? Is Tufnell’s.

Sam Tufnell is an NYC based sculptor, known for pushing the boundaries of what is commonly considered art. His newest showing from VOLTA NYC, enveloped viewers in the swirling conceptualization of superstorm Hurricane Irene—a vicious attack on NYC’s entire infrastructure back in 2011. The relevancy and parallel to the new CURRENT attack on NYC, and cities across the globe, left us with much to think about. What will happen with the waste from all of this paranoia driven, over consumption? What will happen with waste in the wake of government agency suspensions and closures? What do we do with waste?

Swirling mass of steel can, scattered leaves, and refuse by Sam Tufnell.

Since Sam Tufnell’s solo debut Steel and Roses at the Myles Gallery in 2008, his thought provoking work has been seen in Art Basel MIA, Castle Fitzjohns Gallery, Macaya Gallery, and in the surrounding New York metropolis. More recently, he has seen acclaim for his clear cast acrylic sculptures–skulls, honey bears, dejected cans–even mystical wee-garden-guardians, (AKA gnomes). (You may even recall a certain "roaming gnome" removed against his will, from Tufnell’s "Power Gnome" fellows at Cornell Art Museum in 2016.)

But with Sam’s VOLTA NYC collection, we saw a return to his initial medium–steel–and a more serious statement. His work featured repurposed refuse leaves–cast in steel and patinated urethane–stretched amongst vast expanses of stark white gallery wall. Twisted steel cast garbage cans and other displaced debris, radically sprinting through the sky of a storm. Beautiful to view, but with a deeper social commentary on food/waste, and its integral relationship to nature, industry, social status, and culture.

Artist Sam Tufnell with EYES & EDGE contributor, Organic Shawty.

“I’ve always admired the various piles of rubbish and oddities throughout NYC as a sort of portrait of the city itself,” says artist Sam Tufnell. He sees a unique relationship between trash and art. Furthermore, his work embodies the concept that contemporary art is trash, but is the role of the artist to interpret that ‘trash’ and make it aesthetically pleasing. This is a conscious and consistent theme in all of his work. And it’s a conscious and current theme for all of us now, both technically and metaphorically. Sifting through the circumstance of what they’re calling a global pandemic—aka TRASH—and from it, extracting and re-crafting this happening into something meaningful.