Margaret Kilgallen

Margaret Kilgallen's installation was inspired by hobos, drifters, and street musicians and was executed with a visual sensibility that admired all things made by the human hand. Kilgallen spoke on this, saying "My artwork is influenced by my day job of making and repairing books, my past education in letterpress printing, and my observation of present-day forms of communication such as lettering, signs, and markings. Books and letterform have been the basis of the transmission of knowledge and a mode of communication for several thousand years. They have become so ingrained in our culture that they are often taken for granted. Today, so much emphasis is put on computer skills and communication through the internet that it is rare to receive a hand-written letter. I am interested in things made by the human hand. Graffiti and hobo train markings are very simple forms of communication and self-expression. They are examples of the basic human instinct to mark and change our surroundings. Although the culture of graffiti and that of the train hobos are very different, they share a similar outcome, hand-written traces. It is the form of expression, whether it be lettering or imagery, as well as the person and culture it reflects, that intrigues me. Our dependency on technology limits our ability to be self-reliant, while at the same time we are increasingly isolated from one another. I am interested in making things that show evidence of the human hand. It is important for me to be able to rely on my own skills to produce work that incorporates organic, graphic imagery and letterforms. I paint these images onto various materials including discarded paper endsheets from books, metal galley trays once used to store letterpress type, and primed wood. I present them together with images, shapes, and letters painted directly on the wall, and found objects such as used soap and matchboxes filled with insects, seeds, and other organic material. The overall feeling of the installation is nostalgic, and implies the decay of culture."