Main Galleries
An Other World marks the Tarble’s first major reinstallation of artworks from the permanent collection in five years. Reintroducing visitors to the institution’s dynamic and growing collection, the exhibition includes both familiar masterpieces and significant recent acquisitions. As regional folk art selections commingle with works by acclaimed contemporary artists, shared images of absurdist realities and speculative worlds emerge to present a unique perspective on the human experience.
Artists in this exhibition employ many methods to construct these intricate worlds, including painting, drawing, printmaking, collage, sculpture, bookmaking, and animation. Cut paper, sewn fabric piecework, and miniature carved dioramas serve as the building blocks for maximalist and meticulously crafted landscapes that range from whimsical to exuberant, mystical to anxious, and other such spaces of in-betweenness.
At the collective heart of the works on view is a celebration of collage: the finding and binding together of disparate elements to form new, cohesive wholes. Each piece is a testament to the work of the artist’s hand, highlighting the evidence of craft and the handmade. By foregrounding the creative process itself—that of trained and untrained artists—these works invite viewers to explore layers of meaning embedded within each piece.
From scenes of playful absurdity to contemplative reflections on the current state of the world, the artworks in An Other World challenge conventional notions of space, time, and identity. They do not settle for mere critique, though, but instead suggest possibilities for the future—visions of freedom, transformation, and resilience that have been otherwise unexplored. In a world often marked by uncertainty, these works offer glimpses of hope and inspiration, reminding us of the boundless potential of human creativity.
