T.W. PILAR

Pilar’s “Portals” create contemplative spaces, connecting viewers to nature through advertising the importance of thriving flora, fauna, and communal green spaces. It boldly juxtaposes distinctly manufactured materials with elements of nature begging the viewer to explore and travel through portals of possibilities.

This conceptually based and philosophy-infused visual art encourages alternative definitions of nature, challenging norms of overproduction, consumerism, and materialism. Pilar’s use of industrial materials such as plastic and steel alongside natural elements like wood and petrified moss creates a dialogue about the evolving state of our environment. Pilar posits that human ingenuity and labor are integral parts of this natural world and can strike a balance together. She refers to this combination of resources, ideation, and manufacturing that have created new materials and production methods as "second nature."

These works will be activated inside the inaugural Atlanta Art Fair hosted in October 2024, in the Atrium of Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson Airport, and The Millennium Gate Museum.

This project features Atlanta-based artist Pilar, in collaboration with curators Shannon Morris from The Curator’s Studio LLC, and Kate Chesnut from Labyrinth Curation.

@pilarstudios.angel

@thecuratorsstudiollc

@labyrinthcuration

The CO-CURATORS

Shannon Morris is a curator and writer specializing in globally relevant topics. Her art consulting firm, “The Curator’s Studio, LLC,” assists artists, collectors, and institutions in successfully implementing their visions and achieving their goals. Currently, she serves as Director of Spruill Gallery, an entity of Spruill Center for the Arts.

Before arriving in Atlanta in May 2023, Morris served as the Mary S. Byrd Gallery of Art Director within the Department of Art and Design at Augusta University, Augusta, Georgia and has served in various roles at the Birmingham Museum of Art, Telfair Museums, Alabama Contemporary, and Georgia College throughout her career. She holds a Master of Arts in Art History from the Savannah College of Art and Design and is a Member of the International Society of Appraisers.

Kate Chesnutt is an art consultant and curator who specializes in contemporary art, ancient objects, and antiquities. Kate works with individuals and corporations find works that speak to them, their values, and fulfil their aesthetic dreams. In the past year, Kate curated "Material Influence" with Maune Contemporary, Lainey Papageorge's "Radiance Embodied" and "Art Above All" at Rooftop LOA. Kate is the founder of Labyrinth Curation, LLC.

Kate was the former Assistant Director at Bill Lowe Gallery in Atlanta, GA. Prior to her career in the Arts, Kate worked in interior design.

The ARTIST

photo by Theo Preiswerk