Written by Megan May Walsh

Edited by Jana Massoud

Intricacy, astute attention to detail, and meticulous handiwork in artwork frame a tremendous feat for artists that more often than not goes tragically unnoticed. Michelle Grabner collaborates with the Alice Austen House to create a series of paintings and photographs that brings the attention back to the detail in the more intricate decors of everyday life. Inspired by the house, studio, and collections of Alice Austen’s work, Grabner creates a series that reexamines fabric patterns, revealing the political power of repetitive design and layering.

Inspired by Gombrich’s theory of style and fascinated with the ornamental handiwork of lace, Grabner creates a collection that examines the decorative qualities of lace occupying space but seemingly refusing attention. Gombrich sees that patterns, or the arrangement and repetition of elements, trickle down to the way people conceive the world, from rhythms of movement and sound to systems of thought and power. Grabner engages with this theory by turning to the pattern work of lace - a domestic ornamental handiwork that requires intricate design, but whose pattern invention is ultimately undemonstrative and undeviating. Despite its unremarkable handiwork, the production of lace persists. According to Gombrich, decoration changes slowly over time, occupying habitual space, influencing daily routine, and tracing back to centuries. Grabner examines this theory by rearranging the overly ornate patterns of lace that emerge seemingly unnoticed in her photographs, challenging Gombrich’s proclamation that decoration cannot demand attention. Striving to upend the suspicion that observation and appreciation of ornamental handiwork can only exist in the fleeting moment we happen to notice it amongst our surroundings, Grabner creates her exhibition: Unremarkable Handiwork.

Making the unremarkable remarkable, Grabner brings the unseen into the spotlight. Photographing decorative scenes where lace compliments the overall aesthetic of fashion or interior design alongside shots focusing on the intricate lacework, Grabner conjures a deeper metaphor of what overlooked patterns represent. In a paradigm where patterns weave the fabric of reality - from creative perceptions to theoretical frameworks to political systems - revealing the intricate workings of these patterns is crucial in understanding the world around us. When these patterns remain critically unobserved, underlying abuses of power operating in the background of society can remain unexamined. Forcing ourselves to focus on the intricacies of lacework patterns in the background of Grabner’s photographs opens our minds to the myriad of patterns operating around us, unnoticed but not unproductive.

Exploring Michelle Grabner’s exhibition Unremarkable Handiwork should be a meditative experience. It should conjure thoughts of the unseen power structures breathing life into politics and societal norms. It should inspire a reexamination of historical thought patterns, habits, and normative conceptions. It should provoke a critical eye and an open mind. Most importantly, it should reveal that such patterns can be rearranged to invent something radically different and challenge the existing fabric of reality.

Michelle Grabner’s exhibition, Unremarkable Handiwork: Translations and Collections, will be on view at the Alice Austen House. Located on 2 Hylan Blvd, Staten Island, New York, the Alice Austen House was the home of former photographer Alice Austen and is now a museum for the photographic arts. For more information on the Unremarkable Handiwork exhibition, please visit https://aliceausten.org/unremarkable-handiwork-translations-and-collections/