For 49-year-old Falls of the Ohio enthusiast Albertus Gorman, the debris that floats down the river from as far away as New York and West Virginia is a product of people’s thoughtlessness but also nature’s craftsmanship. Over the past three years, the former Louisville Visual Arts Association curator, who now curates and consults independently, has been using washed-up Styrofoam, liquid containers, rubber balls and driftwood to create "absurd" human and animal forms that he photographs and then (most of the time) leaves on the dry ledges and flats of the Falls for others to see.
"It’s the perfect stage," he notes, for his flotsam "characters."
"The materials are ephemeral," he says. "They can be here today and gone tomorrow." Signs of human encounters with his impromptu works between his visits also allow him to investigate human nature. "Some people can’t wait to smash things," he says. "Some play along, adding to or changing the forms. Eventually, high water will claim them."
But not all. Gorman’s Styro-Buffalo won best in show in a juried exhibit, "Sticks and Stones," which is still on display at the Kentucky Folk Art Center in Morehead, and other Gorman works are viewable (and buyable) at Galerie Hertz, 711 S. Third St. "I do get a sort of subversive thrill," he says, "selling garbage back to people." January’s Couple
Two Friends by the Bridge
A Game of Fetch
Beach Comber