Heart of gold: exhibitions tune into Peter Simensky's sculptural radios and celebrate his legacy

The late artist Peter Simensky (1975-2023) was captivated by gold, not as a precious metal, but as a symbol of humanity's inherent sense of value and authority. He often threw gold dust during performances and incorporated pyrite, also known as "fool's gold," into his sculptural works. Simensky and his friend Iris Williamson, who curated his Pyrite Radio exhibition, spent time living in Oregon, a state with a long history of gold mining.

Simensky's quotes, displayed in his exhibition, reflect his thoughts on the insignificance of individual gold pieces when scattered, yet their collective impact when transformed into a mass of particles. The exhibition, named "Pyrite Radio," features ten radios as conductive elements for transmitting local radio signals, with whimsical antennae and colorful speakers.

These radios aim to seduce people into alternative models of information transmission. The radios pick up local AM stations, creating a discordant symphony of multiple voices and sounds. Simensky's themes are further explored in the group exhibition "A Sea of Particles," curated by Williamson, which includes 12 artists and their works inspired by Simensky's life and work. The show emphasizes the importance of artist communities and their shared connections.