MAYS, ASPEN

Map of the World (after Buckminster Fuller), 2008, printed 2011
Archival inkjet print
13.5 x 8 inches on 14 x 8.5 inch paper
Signed Edition of 50

(American, 1980)

Playing the role of an amateur scientist, Aspen Mays’ “experiments” show us an alternative way in looking at our world, and thus how to answer questions of the unknown. In Map of the World (After Buckminster Fuller), 2008, Aspen Mays disassembles the 20-sided die that floats within the ink- colored waters of a Magic 8-Ball toy.

Here the deconstructed piece, being arranged in two-dimensional form, recalls the Dymaxion Map created by Buckminster Fuller in 1946 that maintains the relative proportional integrity of a globe map when flattened. While Fuller stated that there is no “right side up” with his map, Mays’ map seems to suggest the limitless possibilities in looking for answers to our questions.

Aspen Mays completed an MFA in Photography from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago in 2009 and a BA in Anthropology and Spanish from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Her work has been reviewed in national publications including Artforum and Art Papers, and she presented a solo exhibition at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago as part of the 12 x 12 series. She recently completed a Fulbright Fellowship in Santiago, Chile. Mays lives and works in Los Angeles.