destroyer

Art

-

DePaul Art Museum

Name/Title

destroyer

Entry/Object ID

2019.39

Description

Abstractly painted background in pink, purple, and blue. Green triangle near center with "DESTROYER" written on it. Drawing below which looks like teeth on an x-ray. All encased in an acrylic frame.

Artwork Details

Medium

Acrylic, collage, Graphite, Oil, china marker, phototransfer, silverpoint

Context

Washington uses fugitive, non-archival materials like ashes, blackberries, chalk, moss, and silverpoint in her work that “represent ruptures and failures in the search for meaning and truth.” Washington went almost 10 years without healthcare. When she finally got health insurance and went to the dentist, she learned she needed major surgery to correct her impacted teeth. She experienced a lot of anxiety, but new it needed to be done. In this piece, Washington transferred an x-ray of her teeth onto a colorful painted background. She drew on the teeth with silverpoint, which has begun to tarnish. Above the x-ray, is a small paper hat with the word “destroyer” written on it. In her classroom, Washington does an exercise with her students in which half are given paper hats that read "creator" and half are given hats that read "destroyer." The creators can draw with chalk and the destroyers can erase with buckets of water. Halfway thorough, they switch roles and at the end they discuss which role they like more. Washington herself prefers the destroyer role. The destroyer hat connects to the dental x-ray in a poetri, narrative way. After her dental surgery, a family member forgot to show up and care for her. It made her question that relationship and whether it should be continued or whether it was time to be the destroyer and end it.

Acquisition

Accession

2019.26-64, 72-78

Source or Donor

Browne Goodwin

Acquisition Method

Gift

Credit Line

Gift of Browne and Diane Goodwin

Made/Created

Artist

Washington, Erin

Date made

2018

Ethnography

Notes

American

Lexicon

Getty AAT

Concept

collages (visual works), visual works (works)

Hierarchy Name

Visual Works (hierarchy name), Visual and Verbal Communication (hierarchy name)

Facet

Objects Facet

LOC Thesaurus for Graphic Materials

Teeth, Health care, Family

Dimensions

Dimension Description

Framed

Height

20-5/8 in

Width

16-7/8 in

Depth

1-1/2 in

Dimension Notes

52.38 cm. x 42.86 cm. x 3.81 cm.