Recent decades have changed the world of art more than entire centuries would have in the past. The invention of digital art tools has turned much of a whole generation away from traditional, physical art. Many of these artists feel that AI is about to take art away from them altogether. This pervasive concern has extended to writers, actors, and creatives of many kinds, but there are still some kinds of art that a computer cannot replicate. The creative found-object sculptures of Claire Cusack are modern art without modern artifice.

Describing her art as the “assemblage of found objects without the use of welding or glue,” Claire Cusack will be featured in a solo show titled “Passages” at Taylor Fine Art in Culver City. The show opens on April 6 and runs until April 30.

A Show for Los Angeles Culture

“I think the big-city excitement of LA,” says Claire Cusack, “Its entertainment industry and bustling art scene matches the dynamic quality of my work.” The cultural landscape of LA has featured unique forms of art, such as Claire’s, for a long time.

The area is a hub of art projects that push boundaries (such as the transmedia storytelling program that RIT has brought to LA) as well as those that have roots in physical, experiential dimensions (like the Luna Luna: Forgotten Fantasy project funded by Drake, which combines a Los Angeles amusement park with an art exhibition).

Claire Cusack’s art has something in common with these projects. “By putting objects together, I can tell a story,” she says of the items she brings back to her studio, where she painstakingly prepares and assembles them into art pieces. Hosting Claire Cusack’s art at Taylor Fine places Culver City on a select list of cities exhibiting Claire’s sculptures, including Houston, New York City, and Flayosc in France.

New Art from Old Objects for a Modern World

“I maintain a clean studio space and find myself unable to work unless it’s perfectly organized. Objects I bring home tend to be rusty or dirty, so a lot of time is spent cleaning them, getting them ready to be art.” This makes an artistic statement about art’s role in society, the way the artist takes the dirty pieces of culture into a space of immaculate organization to create an object for popular display.

Claire Cusack undercuts this on her own, saying, “I’m brainstorming new methods of altering my found objects. I have recently been ‘smashing’ pieces by crushing them under truck tires.” Even this destruction, however, is deliberate in its execution. One thing Claire thinks about in her work is “Rebirth as symbolized in the renewal of objects, laced with humor and spirituality.”

The themes rise out of the story of her life. “Thirty-four years ago,” she says, “The voice of God spoke to me and told me to create art, so I quit my job the next day and started creating art.” Things have changed a lot since then, however, and her new show in Culver City is likely to be very different from those of past decades. “Since the passing of my husband… he has become a guardian angel who looks over me, inspiring me to this day,” she says, and about how it might affect her art, “I don’t know how it’s going to change, but one thing I can tell you: I am never going to stop.”

Claire Cusack’s solo show, “Passages,” opens soon at Taylor Fine Art in Culver Center. Opening Night is scheduled for April 6 from 7-10 p.m.; the art will be displayed until April 30.

Advertising disclosure: We may receive compensation for some of the links in our stories. Thank you for supporting LA Weekly and our advertisers.