TUBE GALLERY at CAMi | APRIL 3 – SEPT. 13 In this exhibition, designer Cory Robinson builds upon his CODEX series, which employs a system of form typologies in varying combinations to generate unique compositions in both two- and three-dimensional works. Kept Secrets: Open Code uses this preordained design language to explore layered personal histories through recontextualized objects. The gallery is organized around three distinct spatial environments: the Church, the Court, and the Garten. The Church features five large, tufted rugs installed in a continuous curved sequence, evoking the apse of a cathedral. Produced in collaboration with a software-driven production partner, the designs translate the flat graphic language of the CODEX Series into textile compositions—digitally precise in conception yet softened and humanized in their yarn-rendered finish. The space engages the mystery and contemplative atmosphere associated with liturgical environments, using the unlikely medium of tufted yarn to construct images meant for quiet reflection. Robinson, who grew up in a rural, working-class community in central Indiana, was not raised religious and felt this positioned him as an outsider. Over time he has come to redefine his personal meaning of “church,” and here considers the work of Light and Space artists such as James Turrell, who—often inspired by sacred architecture—manipulates environments to alter perception and elicit the divine. The Court presents two exaggerated, throne-like chairs flanking the entrance to the Church. Their conceptual origins lie in the artist’s complicated relationship with the American justice system—specifically, a teenage courtroom experience in which he was publicly dismissed by a judge as a “smartass kid.” That moment destabilized his faith in law and order as neutral principles, and the installation explores the symbolism of thrones in relation to justice and power. The thrones incorporate multiple historical and cultural references: the ball-and-claw carving tradition of 18th-century Philadelphia furniture, the golden throne of Tutankhamun, and notably, tattoo subcultures, in which Robinson has observed phrases and ornamentation that reflect adherence to particular codes of law and order. The armrests terminate in carved wooden knuckles engraved with the phrases Open Eyes and Slow Burn — references to surveillance culture and a public increasingly desensitized to crisis. Together the thrones ask: who defines the law, who benefits from it, and how are its symbols constructed and maintained? The Garten is the most personal and quietest of the three environments. A grouped installation of sculptural lighting objects made from salvaged redwood, it is rooted in the artist’s lifelong affinity for plants and their coded visual languages. As a child, the “garden” for Robinson was the expansive acreage of genetically modified corn that surrounded his home. His affinity for cultivating plants developed as a hobby th...
