William Rihel III Island of Misfit Toys / Paradise Lost
Statement All objects in this piece are from a free source. Inspired by a residency that I currently am taking part in at the city dump, I drifted away from my usual practice if making original pieces from raw materials to found object oriented work. It is hard not to be inspired by the mass quantity of materials that get thrown out on a daily basis. I have been going to the dump for 4 hours every Saturday, collecting objects that are often tarnished but still have a bit of allure. This grouping is a small collection of the tossed away, the unwanted and for one last time, the resurrected.
Bio Rihel grew up in Suburbia, USA, mostly in the northeastern part of the country. Receiving a BFA from Pratt Institute in 1999 for media arts, he now makes works of all mediums that often comment on the human condition and American culture. Rihel has been living in Portland, Oregon for the past 9 years and plans to go to space before or when he dies.
