The Office

Contemporary office culture examined, deconstructed, rearranged, and critiqued.

Exhibiting artists include Fritzie Brown, Alex Clausen, Kirk Crippens, Lauren DiCioccio, Mitra Fabian, Alison Foshee, Jonn Herschend, Packard Jennings, Jill Sylvia, Ian Treasure, and Penny Young.

Like its television series namesake, The Office explores the absurdity and artistry of objects, ecosystems, culture and characters familiar to office works everywhere. Jill Sylvia’s meticulously cut ledger paper structures transform a nearly extinct material into elegant sculptures. Penny Young turns her obsession with organizational systems – library card catalogs, rolodexes, office files- into works that are liberated from structure and express chaos and absurdity. Kirk Crippens creates photo portraits of the ubiquitous office plant. Mitra Fabian and Alison Foshee explore the artistic potential of staples and binder clips. Packard Jennings appropriates the standard business reply envelope with his unique interventionist approach, and Jonn Herschend responds with an installation that threatens (or promises) to disrupt the ICA’s own office practices.