“HYPERCONNECTION” a new series by Tiffany Lange

Opening Reception: September 17th, 5–7PM EDT, Artist Talk at 5:30PM

Rosza Center for the Performing Arts: Main Lobby and A-Space

Exhibition Runs: September 17th–November 9th

Go to the Michigan Tech event's page here.

A part of a generation who grew up with phones in their hands and the added pressure to create a ficitious life online, Tiffany Lange’s newest series “Hyperconnection”, examines overstimulation and anxiousness through abstraction as a millenial. After a year of increased screen time during quarantine and continual distractions through notifications, pseudo connections through instant connections act as a small relief from the isolation and stress of a particularly difficult year and counting. However, the unending and mindless scroll has led to a feeling of dissociation. Sifting through the constant online static has been arduous in finding a genuine and authentic interaction. The desire to unplug yet the fear of missing out (FOMO as they might call it) is constantly creating dissonance. In Lange’s current body of work, pendulous shapes and mark making are built upon the painting surfaces through repetitive layers that bear resemblance to multiple tabs on the screen and app icons. Diversions from the painting surface and the sculptures included in the exhibition echo disrupted thoughts and an impulse to move onto the next thing. Vibrant colors in neon and pastel, arouses pleasures similar to those stimulated from our screens - not nourishing the body, but supplying a temporary fix for a greater desire. 

Lange’s paintings and sculptures capture that transient fix with permanence, asking audiences to ponder the glow and flicker of screens differently. Participating in online platforms is as real as any other component of our lives, a part of being human that is most likely here to stay. Lange however wants us to be thoughtful, if this is our new reality how can we form a balance? Taking a moment to be still and reflect on that frozen glow of color may allow us the ability to acknowledge the virtual as a part of us without it defining us. 

Tiffany Lange received her Bachelor of Fine Arts in painting and a minor in art history from the University of Wisconsin-Stout. She served as the Bud and Betty Micheels Artist-in-Residence for the 2015/2016 academic year and was published in UW-Stout’s annual Journal of Student Research. Lange attended Elsewhere Studios in Paonia, CO, and has exhibited in the Twin Cities and nationally. She is currently the Gallery and Development Coordinator at Soo Visual Arts Center and works out of a studio space in Lowertown St. Paul. 

www.tiffanylangestudio.com

Instagram: @tiffanylangestudio

This activity is supported by the Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs.