Arrangements is a presentation of sculptures designed by New York-based artist Scott VanderVoort. Scott VanderVoort’s work broadly explores themes of impermanence, perception, beauty, memory, and the ambiguous divide between art and the mundane. VanderVoort works in both two and three dimensions, with paint, sculpture, and installation, and through his art engages viewers in an often playful dialogue about the process by which objects, images, and spaces acquire meaning. His work focuses on capturing and formalizing our connection to “balance” and how one might achieve this through the use of positive and negative spacial conditions and materiality.  Whether working with found objects like stone blocks from Bali or the walls of New York City elevator shafts, VanderVoort’s work often involves a process. In his words, “activating space, place, and objects to bring life to what has seemingly been overlooked or disregarded.” 

For the past two decades, VanderVoort’s professional work has spanned across disciplines including industrial design, interior design, exhibition design, and architectural design programs. 

His artworks balance and celebrate beauty, spirituality, and community.  His work is inspired by a careful look at ancient and primitive communities and their approaches to communication and artifact making.  In particular, the influences from African and Polynesian art and architecture that express evidence of and themes around objects made to celebrate survival, shelter, landmarking, community, birth, death, and gender. His studies are built from an alphabet he has created to inform the final presentation of the paintings, collages, sculptures, and found assemblages.  This language serves as his parameters for guiding his process, helping to avoid attention given to artistry or unnecessary layers of perceptions.  The invitation is given to acknowledge the complexity within his simplistic approach to geometry, material handing, and final positioning.

Photography by Charles Roussel