"Pet Co.," from "Liz Magor: Blowout."

“Pet Co.,” part of the exhibit “Liz Magor: Blowout,” on view at the Carpenter Center through March 24.

Photos by Stephanie Mitchell/Harvard Staff Photographer

Arts & Culture

Lost and found

2 min read

In ‘Liz Magor: Blowout,’ artist explores what’s left of objects after we’ve discarded them

What happened to that stuffed animal you clung to as a child or those trendy shoes you once loved but have gone out of style?

It’s a question Vancouver artist Liz Magor investigates through her new exhibit “Blowout,” for which she rounded up discarded objects such as textiles, tchotchkes, and toys that had outlived the value people once placed on them.

“It’s where the title ‘Blowout’ comes from,” said Daniel Byers, director of the Carpenter Center for the Visual Arts, where the 13-work show is on view through March 24.

“She’s thinking about a blowout sale where everything must go. Then also the kind of psychological condition of just not caring anymore. She talks about putting all your belongings out on the street and blowing it all out. For her, these are scenes of expended energy — after the party — of what’s left, what remains.”

Magor will give a talk about the exhibit at 6 p.m. on Feb. 28 at the Carpenter Center.

Details from “Pet Co.,” above, and “Shoe World,” below.
"Shoe World," Liz Magor.
"Closet (fur)," Liz Magor.
“Closet (fur).”

“[Magor is] thinking about a blowout sale where everything must go. … For her, these are scenes of expended energy — after the party — of what’s left, what remains.”

Daniel Byers, director of the Carpenter Center for the Visual Arts
" Closet (jacket)," Liz Magor.
“Closet (jacket).”