Life, Afterlife 2015
The work blurs life and death, handmade and readymade, precious objects and "worthless trash."
Artist Statement
I paint on and peel things in a process that merges painting, casting, drawing, and sculpture. The work blurs life and death, handmade and readymade, precious objects and “worthless trash.”
Are the things we make, use or love every really dead, or can we rediscover and revive their spirit? When does “decay” become rebirth? Can we love what something is now while embracing what it might become?
Using fluid, plastic materials forces me to deal with change and accept that I am never fully in control. Shifting height, perspective and mirrors further distorts the line between the real and magical. Hopefully the viewer shares an experience of wonder and discovery.
A graduate of Pratt Institute, Morris creates installations with found materials that test the boundaries between art/non-art; beauty/ugliness; original/readymade; loved/unloved; precious object and worthless trash. His work has developed from a large body of drawings that playfully convey a sense of organic life, using traditional and untraditional media. He has exhibited his work widely and was founder/director of an alternative gallery in Pittsburgh, PA.