Matthew Schenning: Back to Nature

Back to Nature, the inaugural exhibition at 51 Haddonfield, features a large hanging sculpture and two wall sculptures by Jason Middlebrook and a series of photographs by Matthew Schenning. The show examines both artists’ practice of reclaiming everyday objects and scenes with intellect and wit.

Back to Nature investigates the relationship between man and the environment by examining how humans have tamed, manipulated, and transformed their surroundings. Middlebrook repurposes natural materials into elegant works that reference the history of art and environmentalism. Wood From Around the World Mobile reworks a simple material into a hanging sculpture that recalls Alexander Calder’s iconic mobiles. Schenning studies engineered nature, places where people can be outdoors without experiencing the elements. In Parking Lot Waterfall, the namesake feature flows down a manmade path and is bound by a wall of fake stones and a chain-link fence. In the works on view, Middlebrook and Schenning subtly reveal the blurring line between natural and manmade environments and encourage viewers to reconsider what they generally accept as nature.

Back to Nature marks the expansion of the Art-in-Buildings program to another TEI property, 51 Haddonfield in Cherry Hill, NJ.

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Back to Nature is curated by Jennie Lamensdorf and sponsored by the Time Equities Inc. (TEI) Art-in-Buildings. TEI is committed to enriching the experience of our properties through the Art-in-Buildings Program, an innovative approach that brings contemporary art by emerging and mid-career artists to non-traditional exhibition spaces in the interest of promoting artists, expanding the audience for art, and creating a more interesting environment for our building occupants, residents, and their guests.