Tara Polansky - Artist
The Great Reveal
2014
Translucent Hungarian porcelain, wood, metal, leather, robot, light
5’ x 5 ½’
The new work in Revelations and Withholdings is inspired by a recent New York Times obituary headline which read, “Mae Young, Unladylike Wrestler Who Loved to be Hated, Dies at 90.” This work asks questions about what a woman would have to do to be described as “unladylike” in the headline of her obituary. I wonder about the relationships among the wrestlers and what is unstated in the official summation of Mae Young’s life.

Formally, the works utilize porcelain’s translucency to alternately reveal information when illuminated and obscure the same information when shielded in darkness; when backlit, an image is literally brought to light. Several works are broken into segments and exposed only a piece at a time. Viewers are required to recall what they have seen previously in order to create a fuller picture, thus they are engaged in the act of seeking—simultaneously having information revealed and withheld.
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Photo: Wayne Maki