People, like magpies, are irresistibly drawn to shiny objects. Smoke & Mirrors, on view now at Boulder Museum of Contemporary Art (bmoca.org), is a group show featuring optical illusions crafted by eight artists, mostly Colorado-based. These artists employ a range of reflective and elusive materials like mirrors, metals, glass and lights to distort physical reality and test perception.
Joel Swanson, “Fifty States (detail)” (polished stainless steel, 2024), 8 feet by 4 feet. PHOTO: BY WES MAGYAR
Amy Hoagland, “Layered Landscape: Arctic (detail)” (scientific glass rod, graphite, hand-cut archival paper, aluminum, 2024), 7 feet, 7 inches by 5 feet, 6 inches by 4 inches. PHOTO: COURTESY OF BMOCA
Joel Swanson, an artist and associate professor at CU Boulder, reimagined the U.S. map in his piece “Fifty States.” Using a shape-packing algorithm, he reorganized state shapes onto a sheet of polished stainless steel. “A lot of the U.S. borders are geographic, but many are completely arbitrary,” he says. “I remember going to the Four Corners as a kid and putting hands and feet in four different states and thinking, ‘Wow, I don’t feel anything!’” The shapes were cut using a high-powered jet of water, creating tangibly sharp edges that carry meaning. “As the Supreme Court redefines our rights based on geographical boundaries, I think these boundaries can hurt us in a very real way.”
Trey Duvall, “Tank Lights: 002-0019” (fish tanks, mineral oil, clamp lights, 2019), various sizes. PHOTO: COURTESY OF BMOCA
In “Layered Landscape: Arctic,” Denver-based artist Amy Hoagland painstakingly hand-cut archival paper layers based on a 3D scan of Arctic ice then placed scientific glass rods overtop to create new distortions and shadows. “Within my practice, I’m really curious about perception,” she says.
Trey Duvall, also Denver-based, created an unsettling sculpture by submerging light fixtures in elevated fish tanks of mineral oil, with a snakelike tangle of electric cords at their bases. A sign nearby warns: “Risk of electric shock…misuse can lead to serious injury or death, but likely everything will be just fine.” Smoke & Mirrors will be on view through Jan. 12, 2025.
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