Dave Sinaguglia likes wood; he really, really likes wood. He likes wood so much that most of the objects you will find while exploring his show “Welcome to Hard Times” are made out of wood. Even those pieces that aren’t constructed directly out of the material feature it in some way. His two video works in the exhibition, “Infomercial” and “Never Going to Give You Up,” are both shot inside of a wooden shack built by Sinaguglia that he refers to as “The Man Camp Cabin”.
What is most striking about all of the wood in Sinaguglia’s whimsical new exhibition is how differently it is used throughout. Whether it is a direct application like in his sculpture and furniture, or less so like in his videos and installations, Sinaguglia has managed to create an eclectic-yet-unified body of work, in large part thanks to the varied ways in which he uses his favorite material.
Sinaguglia backs up his work with an equally impressive resume. Having graduated with a BFA from the Hartford Art School and an MFA from the University of Connecticut, he has also spent time training at the International Yacht Restoration School in Newport, Rhode Island. Most recently, he has taken another shift in craft and has begun making furniture.
If Sinaguglia’s rich background in art, craft and design suggests a diverse creative output, “Welcome to Hard Times” is the definitive proof: photographs and videos share wall space with sculptures both impressive in craftsmanship and often downright funny; gorgeous pieces of wooden furniture are used as parts of curious installation pieces; and adze handles—used in yacht building—are assembled as a sculpture that mirrors the sheerline of a boat.
The quality of Sinaguglia’s work more than matches both his ambition and sprawling vision. It is clear that Sinaguglia not only prefers wood as a material to work with, but is also a master of various kinds of woodcraft.
Minute details such as the frames around each hanging photograph are made of wood. While they literally frame the picture within them, they also add a further element of unity between the photos and the rest of the show. It’s just one of the many fine points that Sinaguglia has accounted for throughout “Hard Times”, and it works wonders to enrich the overall experience of the exhibition.
All of this is not to say that the work in “Hard Times,” lacks deeper substance.
Wood is a hard, sturdy material, befitting of the exhibition’s name. It is also a handy parallel to the vision of masculinity that Sinaguglia illustrates in pieces as thought provoking as they are amusing.
Take the video “Infomercial” as an example. What appears to be a straightforward invitation to partake in a solitary lifestyle a la Thoreau turns out to be a tongue-in-cheek parody of what activities and manners of living are generally considered manly. The paradoxical idea of being autonomous together with other men, along the sheer absurdity of everything delivered in a cute infomercial is just plain funny.
Humor is something Sinaguglia manages to incorporate into his work quite well, almost as a way of acknowledging that, while he may take his craft seriously, he can still have fun with it.
Not too far from some furniture and an impressive hanging wooden sculpture is a sloppy looking cross-stitching that reads “I <3 Being a Man.” The juxtaposition of a masculine statement used as a part of a craft traditionally considered feminine, an endearingly haphazard piece of work among other technically strong ones, is hilarious and disturbing all at once.
It is difficult to call “Hard Times” a retrospective; a quick look through Sinaguglia’s website will prove that the works in the show are hardly representative of everything he has done. Still, the exhibition is wide ranging and shows a natural evolution of work and artistic focus, something surprising considering Sinaguglia’s relatively young career. The one constant throughout is wood, and it is refreshing to see that over an artistic career that has progressed through sculpture and installation, shipbuilding and now furniture, Sinaguglia is still finding new ways to create with an old favorite.•
