Good Good Days? Kirsten Stolle, artist
Asheville artist Kirsten Stolle has a solo exhibition on display at The Halsey Institute of Contemporary Art at the College of Charleston through December 10. Only You Can Prevent A Forest is a collection of works that critique the history of agrichemical corporations through humor, wordplay and the appropriation of advertising strategies once used to promote the industry. The work varies in media, including photo-based collages, visual poetry interventions, a text-based neon wall work, an interactive word search puzzle and Stolle’s first site-specific sculpture. “The themes I address hit upon relevant social issues, and can be challenging and uncomfortable, yet I hope viewers come away feeling moved, wanting to have a conversation,” says Stolle. “Ultimately, my aim is to create work that encourages critical thinking and allows for the unexpected.”
New Hunters. Kirsten Stolle, artist
Only You Can Prevent A Forest was the unofficial motto of the US military’s chemical warfare program during the Vietnam War. “The motto, a bizarre riff on the 1947 Smokey Bear slogan used to prevent forest fires, referenced the aerial spraying of herbicides like Agent Orange to destroy trees and crops during the war,” says Stolle, who has spent the last 12 years researching the global influence of chemical companies on our food supply.
In 2019, The Halsey Institute invited Stolle to create a solo exhibition for their 3000-square-foot gallery, so the artist had three years to prepare. Stolle spent that time deepening her research, experimenting with new materials and broadening the size and scale of her work to suit the space. “In this exhibition, Kirsten interrogates the agrichemical companies themselves, bringing to light corporate histories that are purposefully buried,” says Katie Hirsch, director and chief curator at the Institute. “Kirsten’s work forces these well-known companies into corporate transparency and highlights their attempts at greenwashing their products and practices. This facet of her work feels particularly relevant today.”
Stolle will also have a solo exhibition at Tracey Morgan Gallery in 2023, opening on February 24 and running through April 8. Many of the projects from Only You Can Prevent A Forest will be featured in the exhibition.
The Halsey Institute of Contemporary Art is located at 161 Calhoun Street, Charleston, SC, and admission is free for all. For more information, visit Halsey.CofC.edu. Tracey Morgan Gallery is located at 188 Coxe Avenue, Asheville. Learn more at TraceyMorganGallery.com. For more information about the artist, visit KirstenStolle.com.
