You know those awkward encounters you have with sales associates at the mall? Yeah, the ones where you try to run the other direction by nosing your way to the knit socks. You aren't interested in buying socks because it is 90 degrees out and summer time. The associate insists they welcome you because they clearly do not see you are busy admiring the chain stitch on those socks. Inevitably, you submit to a miserably forced conversation, which you then begin to: tell how you are, what you are buying, for who, and why. The current Visiting Artist at Illinois State University, Danny Volk, found his suit of study while working at the Gap retail store down the road.  

Danny Volk was born in Akron, OH and resides in Chicago, IL. Volk received his Bachelors of Arts in Theater Studies at Kent State University (2006) and his Master of Fine Arts at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (2014).  His work includes: sculpture, installation, photography, videography, and the documentation of social interactions. His past work in 2014, Gap Project, is a written analysis of his intimate directions with customers which include: reproduced portrait, branding of the body, relationship of the body, and the consumer based market of retail and how it relates to art.  

Danny Volk, Gap Performance Documents: Crumpled Collar, ink on found paper, 12 x 24", 2014

His performance-based work is a direct correlation of his interest in theater. This physical intimacy Volk searches for when conversing with customers at Gap disinterests my fancy. Personally, I'm a little weirded out by this. It feels almost like a false exchange. Playing the consumer role, we [should]  understand the detachment we carry. This act of concealment validates the disengagement within our society. With that being said, the "intimate" portraits in the photo below, simulate a sanctum sentiment. With his portrait being arranged in the middle, our eyes cannot help but funnel our way to meet the artists gaze. 

Danny Volk, Gap Project, Portraits, 2014

Volk has an amusing approach to his art. He grabs whatever is close to him at the moment, and records his interactions. The manuscript itself is a form of art. The messy lineage and bubbled ink all evoke feeling. A few of the pages are tattered, smeared, or crinkled. This dictates the authenticity of the recorded practice. 

In the installation, Volk built a cash wrap to perhaps suggest familiarity of this object.The cash wrap seemingly acknowledges the modern atmosphere and conforms to the overall look of the gallery. This piece is acting as a major extremity to the project. With the cash wrap, we are stretched to believe the role we play at a retail store. We are the consumers and we are attending the performance: in and out of the store. 

Danny Volk is a fascinating artist to say the least. His ideas, purpose, and method of medium are original. It is an interesting way to examine the connections we have with others. 

- Erika Barber 

Artist Website: 
https://www.instagram.com/dannyvolkstudio/