FLOW.16: Denise Treizman

The Project: Spartan Follies

Inspired by the concept of a fitness “boot camp” and by Randall’s Island Park’s history and role as a site for sports, Denise Treizman’s Spartan Follies aims to lure visitors into physical and recreational interaction. Her work offers an ironically un-“Spartan” invitation through flashy forms, playful materials, and saturated colors; more than the idealized promise of a gym or a workout, her “follies” evoke a children’s playground, calling viewers to explore, play and be creative with these non-precious, interactive works of art. The works stand as objects for both contemplation and active use, shifting from object to tool, depending on public interaction, and thus invite visitors to explore the intersection between objectification and functionality. This shifting – and the playful reuse of leftover, inexpensive and readymade materials – also reflects the continued adaptation, transformation and reinvention of Randall’s Island, in its different historical roles within New York City.

The Artist: Denise Treizman

Denise Treizman creates work that repurposes found and ready-made objects spontaneously encountered during her daily life. These materials become part of sculptures that are endlessly in flux. Conceived in a playful and intuitive manner, the work examines ideas of informality, improvisation, and new forms of abstract assemblage. In her process, Treizman embraces chance, explores material relationships and mostly uses what is at hand. Utilizing society’s excess, her work emphasizes an overly consumerist culture where materials are easily disposed of. She asks the viewer to examine how worthless materials can present themselves as unexpected art experiences. Treizman studied at Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile (BBA, 2002) and the School of Visual Arts (MFA, 2013).