Exhibitions
ANN MOODY: BAG BAG
COOP Gallery / 507 Hagan St. May 6, 2023 - May 6, 2023
Ann Moody
COOP Gallery is pleased to present Bag Bag by Ann Moody. Moody’s practice grapples with the superabundance of material culture by reclaiming and retooling discarded objects from thrift stores, junk shops, and friends’ homes. Necessarily worn and often dated—single-use plastics, scratchy acrylic yarns, pilled clothing, stained sheets, and stiff, stifling poly-blend fabrics foreground Moody’s work. Reworking this archive of waste becomes a framework for apprehending Moody’s past as a material that can be reclaimed, cut up, mended, painted over, and worked into. Bag Bag investigates the ubiquity of plastic, particularly in the domestic space. While living in Buffalo, Moody watched stores transition to compulsory reusable bags. After returning to Moody’s home, Alabama, during a global pandemic that necessitated grocery delivery, Moody was struck by the piles of accumulated plastic bags and the ease with which everyone consumed them. Petroleum spilling from our external environment, into our homes and—once disposed of—back into our environment again. Moody’s mother kept a "bag bag" to hold plastic shopping bags in purgatory before their eventual reuse as garbage can liners. However, the amount of garbage can liners Moody needs is disproportionate to the quantity of plastic bags accumulated. This resourceful, conscientious "bag bag" logic can find its way into the studio, utilizing an excess of free and low-cost materials.
More about the Artist
Currently based in Alabama, Ann Moody (b.1989) is an educator and artist combining reclaimed materials with painting, soft sculpture, and other craft-based processes to examine how domestic objects entwine with identity, maintenance, waste, and productivity. Moody has exhibited nationally at galleries including The Waiting Room, Little Berlin, and The Overlook. Prior to receiving her MFA from the University at Buffalo, Moody completed their BFA at the University of Montevallo, where she currently teaches studio and lecture courses. Moody leads workshops covering a range of craft and art techniques within educational, community and gallery contexts. Learn more about Moody at cargocollective.com/annmoody
More about COOP
COOP is a curatorial collective made up of artists, curators, thinkers and professors who are committed to expanding Nashville’s dialogue with contemporary art by presenting challenging new or under-represented artists/artworks to our community. COOP is committed to exhibiting art of diverse media and content, with a goal to provide an alternative venue for artists. COOP seeks to initiate a discourse between Nashville and art scenes across the country by inviting artists to show, develop projects and interact with the Nashville community.
