
Ari Norris
MFA, Metal
Artist Statement
Using realism and an attention to craft, an ironic impotency is achieved by the duplication and dismantlement of real-world objects and their uses. In investigating each work, a viewer can uncover alterations and abandonments from the source material, as these replications assume their place.
Comparing expectation vs. reality through the negation of the referenced object’s function, readily understandable imagery is selected to comedically deflate the act of reproduction. As reality is slightly abandoned, the seriousness of contemporary realism is critiqued through the lens of humor and play.
Biography
Originally from Muskegon, Michigan, Ari Norris is a midwest based artist working in the field of sculpture. Norris received an MA from Northern Illinois University in 2021, and has exhibited in Chicago at David Salkin Creative, Cleaner Gallery + Projects, Baby Blue Gallery, the 75th Rockford Midwestern Biennial in Rockford, Illinois, the Midwest Sculpture Exhibition in Kokomo, Indiana, and other locations including Michigan, New York, Florida, Texas, and Gyeonggi-do, South Korea.
Rubberband Man Totem Post-it Note’em, 2021
Bronze, Paint, and Found Ceramic Vessels on Canvas, 74″x50″x4″
Rubberband Man Crawling and Flagellated, 2021
Bronze, Paint, and Found Ceramic Vessels on Canvas, 32″x22″x4″
Rubberband Man Twists One Off, 2020
Bronze and Paint, 5″x11″x8.5″
Rubberband Man Enters the Virtual Still Life, 2021
Installation View
Rubberband Man Secretly Strokes (in a Pop-Up Bush), 2021
Bronze, Paint, and Found Ceramic Vessels on Canvas, 38″x26″x4″
Rubberband Man Crosses the Underwear, 2021
Bronze, Paint, and Found Ceramic Vessels on Canvas, 28″x24″x4″
Rubberband Man Carries Two Blue Balls (Outdoing Atlas), 2021
Bronze, Paint, and Found Ceramic Vessels on Canvas, 20″x12″x3″
Rubberband Man Makes a Bust, 2020
Bronze and Paint, 10″x8.5″x6″

Ari Norris
MFA, Metal
Artist Statement
Using realism and an attention to craft, an ironic impotency is achieved by the duplication and dismantlement of real-world objects and their uses. In investigating each work, a viewer can uncover alterations and abandonments from the source material, as these replications assume their place.
Comparing expectation vs. reality through the negation of the referenced object’s function, readily understandable imagery is selected to comedically deflate the act of reproduction. As reality is slightly abandoned, the seriousness of contemporary realism is critiqued through the lens of humor and play.
Biography
Originally from Muskegon, Michigan, Ari Norris is a midwest based artist working in the field of sculpture. Norris received an MA from Northern Illinois University in 2021, and has exhibited in Chicago at David Salkin Creative, Cleaner Gallery + Projects, Baby Blue Gallery, the 75th Rockford Midwestern Biennial in Rockford, Illinois, the Midwest Sculpture Exhibition in Kokomo, Indiana, and other locations including Michigan, New York, Florida, Texas, and Gyeonggi-do, South Korea.
Rubberband Man Totem Post-it Note’em, 2021
Bronze, Paint, and Found Ceramic Vessels on Canvas, 74″x50″x4″
Rubberband Man Crawling and Flagellated, 2021
Bronze, Paint, and Found Ceramic Vessels on Canvas, 32″x22″x4″
Rubberband Man Twists One Off, 2020
Bronze and Paint, 5″x11″x8.5″
Rubberband Man Enters the Virtual Still Life, 2021
Installation View
Rubberband Man Secretly Strokes (in a Pop-Up Bush), 2021
Bronze, Paint, and Found Ceramic Vessels on Canvas, 38″x26″x4″
Rubberband Man Crosses the Underwear, 2021
Bronze, Paint, and Found Ceramic Vessels on Canvas, 28″x24″x4″
Rubberband Man Carries Two Blue Balls (Outdoing Atlas), 2021
Bronze, Paint, and Found Ceramic Vessels on Canvas, 20″x12″x3″
Rubberband Man Makes a Bust, 2020
Bronze and Paint, 10″x8.5″x6″