TAYLOR FINE ART is pleased to announce “Broken Dolls and Micro-Plastics,” a vivid and thought-provoking exhibition from Deasa Turner that transforms everyday objects into imaginative, theatrical assemblages. Through her latest body of work, Turner reclaims the childlike wonder of toys while underscoring the hidden toxicity of the micro-plastics they are made of—materials that both feed our fantasies and quietly infiltrate our lives.
“In a world that feels so topsy-turvy, I wanted to focus on joy,” says Turner. “For me, that joy has always lived in toys—those magical objects that spark make-believe and imagination. Yet many of these same toys are made of micro-plastics. We’re not only ingesting the joy of imagination, but also ingesting toxic micro-plastics.”
Turner’s works are at once playful and unsettling. Scenes about life are formed from the creation of assemblages from old and new found objects, materials that include common, mass-produced, vintage and junk acquired from thrift stores, garage sales, roadside finds, and online marketplaces. She gathers objects that speak to her such as children’s toys, birdcages, kitchenware, old phones, and other relics. Once inside her studio, these materials are transformed—fragmented, scorched, or reconfigured—into poignant narratives that oscillate between humor and tragedy addressing events, issues, and concerns in personal, social, political and cultural realms.
Transmogrify is integral to Turner's way of working. The scarring and scorching of these objects and their attachments from something new, clean, attractive, or precious, into something that is stressed, injured, or painful provokes a psychological and emotional predicament. These transformations can be hurtful and devastating, and yet aesthetically magnetic and beautiful.
We invite you to come play at the “Broken Dolls and Micro-Plastics” exhibit to rediscover joy, confront discomfort, and stretch the imagination.
Turner’s work has been widely exhibited with past exhibitions including “Collage and Assemblage” at Hardy and Nance Studios (2024), Politics of SEX at G Contemporary Art Gallery (2022), Urban Images at the Kinder Morgan Building (2022), The Big Show at Lawndale Art Center (2021), and The Trouble with Toys at Bill’s Junk (2019).
She will be exhibiting through TAYLOR FINE ART at the upcoming 2025 Spectrum Miami which takes place during Art Basel week in Miami, December 2025.
RSVP:
candice@taylorfineart.art or at 424.253.4242
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