Bad Dogs
Phoebe Shuman-Goodier | Rhode Island, United States
Photographer: Phoebe Shuman-Goodier
Exhibit Title: Bad Dogs
Location: Rhode Island, United States
The woods surrounding my childhood home conceal over thirty cars, a bus, a bread truck, and many sailboats. Inside, three stories are packed floor to ceiling. My dad’s hoarding disorder began after my parents’ divorce when I was eleven, and the junkyard grew with me.
Over the past decade, my series “Bad Dogs” has shifted from documenting the property to collaborating with my dad. The land holds a geological timeline of my family history and I search for artifacts of identity in the strata. Together, my dad and I construct and dismantle ephemeral sculptures from the debris, transforming obstacles into a shared artistic language. His enthusiasm to create art together is an act of love that I hold protectively.
Each piece reflects an intuitive process of balance and form, and creates a non-judgmental space for us to work together. This practice has become a cathartic tool for reciprocity, celebrating our evolving relationship and the power of art to repair and heal. I share our story to honor my dad, our journey, and what we continue to build together.
Phoebe is an interdisciplinary artist from Rhode Island. She holds a BFA in photography from the Rhode Island School of Design and is pursuing her MFA at the University of Texas at Austin where she is the 2023-2025 recipient of the Russell-Lee Presidential Scholarship in Photography and the William and Bettye Nowlin Presidential Fellow. Phoebe explores accumulation, waste, and debris from the perspectives of art, psychology, and American consumerism. This involves serious play; transfiguring trash, negotiating function, and making magic from the everyday. Phoebe is passionate about collaborative art making as a means to challenge norms and envision alternative futures.
www.phoebeshumangoodier.com
Instagram @_phoebo
Make Comment/View Comments
