ON THE MOVE

(Systems of Exchange)

*“I took a tire for a walk and sat down…”*

*Andrew and the Tire: A Discourse on Transformation and Aging*

“From 2001 to 2006, Thompson exploits the physical attributes of car tires in several sculptures and performances. Contradicting conventional tire-tests, he stresses the tire’s flexibility by puncturing it, pulling out the soft inner tube to wear it, or creates unstable stacks, using their weight and gravity. Tire with Tire Suspenders Worn illustrates the “spare tire” metaphor for abdominal weight. Herniated Tire shows a tire’s inner lining to bulge like an organ in the abdomen pushing through the muscle or tissue that contains it during a hernia. The performance Yoga with Tire humorously reflects on Thompson’s recovery journey from a hernia surgery caused by moving around too many heavy and toxic rubber tires.”

— Andy T’s Urban Vision curator Nadja Rottner

“Thompson explores tires creatively in multiple ways, including as props in performance, an investigative tool for socio-economic policies in installation art, and as a tracing tool in drawings and sculptures. A 2001–2002 series highlights tire shapes and textures by dipping the tire and then removing it. In Tire Print, 2001, a tire dipped in motor oil is set onto cardboard, staining the surface. For Ameri-G4s, the artist casts a tire in a cement mold. The absent tire symbolizes the history and corporate origin of this tire, relating the automobile industry to the growth and decline of the 20th century.”

— Andy T’s Urban Vision curator Nadja Rottner

*Determining New Destination for Tire: Leg One*

*Determining New Destination for Tire: Leg Two*

*Determining New Destination for Tire: Leg Three*

“Determining New Destination for Tire: Leg One documents the artist’s journey from his studio to the exhibition space. What looks like a straight red line on a map becomes challenging as he maneuvers a discarded tire full of cement across different terrains for approximately three hours. The installation pairs statistical data (the date of the walk, covered distance, weight pushed, and speed) with the tire from the performance that weighs about 175 pounds. About the same weight as the artist, the cement-filled tire serves as a symbolic stand-in for Thompson. This installation underscores that even the most detailed documentation cannot fully capture the complexity of lived human experience. Determining New Destination for Tire: Leg Two features the tire as Thompson found it in situ in 2023 at his parent’s house (now owned by his cousin.) It had been painted green and used as a backyard planter. Determining New Destination for Tire: Leg Three indicates the route that the artist drove to bring the tire to the Stamelos Gallery Center.”

— Andy T’s Urban Vision curator Nadja Rottner

*The Other Side of Bruce R. Watkins Drive: A Tire For Every Ten*

*Bruce R. Watkins Drive: Deflection Run*