From August 29 through October 6 the Tower Fine Arts Center Gallery hosted a brilliant exhibition titled Things Transfigured. In Things Transfigured, artist Allen Topolski explores themes of obsolescence and incompletion through his large-scale prints, depicting the inner workings of tools, towering sculptures of discarded alarm clocks, and once beautiful but now nonfunctional appliances. All these pieces were meant to represent the passing of time (hence the clocks stacked on top of each other) and the stringing along of different memories that Topolski experienced throughout his life.
To kick off the event, Topolski started off by showing a relic of his past, his grandmother’s red leather couch.
“This work attempts to relate imagery and representation to objects in function. A lot of delicate lines of comprehension. A line like the one connecting us to things we used to need, things that we have almost forgotten. Like the thread of connection that I came to realize in my grandmother’s thoughts,” says Topolski.
In this image, Topolski is trying to recreate what he believed it was like in his grandmother’s mind when it came to telling stories and her struggles with Alzheimer’s disease. The couch where she used to sit, combined with the static on the TV, revealed how a slight adjustment—like someone asking her a question—was all it took to find that connection back to reality.
Although Topolski spends a lot of time talking about his grandmother, many of his other works relate to how his perception of life changed as he aged.
“This series is called Things I Used to Need. And I associate these paintings and process with my identity from earlier in my life. The things in front of them blocking their view to some extent is a more recent concern of mine, or the kind of re-visitation of the original idea and purpose. So, there is a thin line between my past and present,” says Topolski.
One specific piece or artwork shows how religion used to be a huge factor in Topolski’s life.
“I was raised Catholic. And religion became something I no longer need,” says Topolski. “So, I put this kneeler in front of my painting, but I’ve converted the kneeler into a chair that faces the other way. And I put a vibrating massager on the seat. So instead of trembling before God, you’re really relaxing facing the other way.”
Topolski talks about the different needs that people have in life, sometimes as we grow, we start to forget the past and move on to things that bring us joy.
“I like the gnome. Those two things in front of them are about a different kind of comprehension of what I enjoy aesthetically. Whereas when I was a teenager and I used that lawnmower in my backyard for years, the idea of a gnome was part of a place that would be normal. But now I find it kiddy, entertaining and funny. So, there’s this kind of gift in understanding our values as we age,” says Topolski.
Topolski’s gallery not only showcases the evolution of materials and objects, but it is also a great reminder that time spares nothing yet transforms everything. While Topolski’s gallery may not be here forever, you can always check out the events page on the Brockport website and look forward to other exhibitions that might pique your curiosity.
