ASTROZONE
AstroZone, 2020. Griffin Music Hall, Murphy Arts District, El Dorado, AR. Curated by Allison Glenn. Organized by Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art. Photo credit (images 1-28): Steven Ochs. Photo credit (images 29-68): Greg Owen Photography.
Relying on the qualities of painting such as color, surface, mark, and image - or what Claire Helen Ashley calls “paintings essential power” - the artist has created this room-sized installation for you to lose yourself in the wonderment of color, light, and sound.
AstroZone draws upon Ashley’s futuristic visions of extraterrestrial life forms and alien landscapes. The environment she created is influenced by a wide variety of ideas and objects, including: science fiction, pop culture, jellyfish blooms, Aurora Borealis, cocoons, asteroids, Star Trek episodes, astrological charts, weather balloons, laser tag, tropical foliage, Saturday Night Fever, and the story of the Garden of Eden. Each of these unique references comes together to create a world of the artist’s making. Inside this room you are invited to sit, relax, and experience life in the AstroZone.