Danielle Orchard
(b. 1985, Michigan City, Indiana; lives and works in Brooklyn, New York)
New Etiquette, 2020. Oil on linen. Courtesy of the artist
Artist Statement
In this work, I contrast objects that relay finite information (the telephone and newspaper) with modes of communicating the ineffable, namely physical touch. The painting also has a few symbols that relate to a shared hope for renewal within our new normal: a budding branch to represent regrowth; a broken bowl, poorly mended, but still in use; and a wine glass with two distinct sets of lipstick marks, suggesting physical intimacy and community.
Danielle Orchard is a participant in Art on the Grid, a citywide, open-air exhibition presented by Public Art Fund. Conceived in the spring of 2020, the exhibition features 50 artists’ reflections on the converging crises of the coronavirus pandemic and systemic racism in our country.