Taking Place
Traci Talasco, Compartmentalized, 2011, Installation view, detail. Floor4Art Gallery, New York. May 14 2011. Orange interior paint, 2x4s, 1x4's, linoleum flooring, and hardware, 3 x 4 x 8 1/2 ft installation. Photo: Traci Talasco
Traci Talasco uses home as a stage to focus on emotional tensions. The works address the physical and emotional aspect of home, in a humorous way. Compartmentalized divides a bathroom into square sections using 2x4 wall framing and orange paint. It’s based on the psychological term meaning to separate conflicting thoughts into compartments as a way of coping with stress. Enclosed in the bathroom, the most isolated space in our homes, the viewer is completely surrounded by the framing on all four walls. Tight quarters and almost absurd proportions make for a psychologically awkward space, while home construction materials imply tension at home.