More than works on paper, these are works of paper—made entirely from an archive of New York Times newspapers which Rooney collected between Nov. 2016 and Nov. 2017. The pages are pulpified and molded into stiff blocks; pigmented and collaged into colorful wall works; and quilted into curtain-like structures which are suspended from the ceiling and create enclaves within the larger room. In all these strategies, Rooney transforms the newspapers from text-heavy documents into visual/sculptural objects with only fragments of text peeking through.
With the prose scrambled or obliterated, we are left to contend with the paper itself, a material increasingly at odds with digital modes of news media production and consumption.
Center: paper (gold)
2018
Newspaper, tempera, acrylic and adhesives
28.5 in x 52 in
paper (tide)
2021
Pulpified and molded newspaper with collaged elements, cheesecloth, roofing membrane and plastic bags
Dimensions variable
Top: paper(red)
2018-19
Newspaper, tempera, acrylic, Flashe and adhesives
37 in x 35.5 in
Bottom: paper (tile)
2021
Pulpified and molded newspaper
Dimensions variable**
paper (gray)
2019
Pulpified and molded newspaper with collaged elements, cheesecloth, roofing membrane and plastic bags
Dimensions variable**
