Joanne Steinhardt
Shared Spaces, 2024
toilet, tile, wire, glue, glass, beads, acrylic paint, ink, bristol board, fabric, sculpey, paper, plastic
26 x 14 x 15 inches
 
Shared Spaces is a replica of the bathroom that was the only space I ever shared with my sisters, though never at the same time. My mother promised I could write on the walls and the walls filled with drawings. In the piece, past and present converge sharing space across time. The wall depicted within this toilet is a conglomeration of some of the drawings that were on the wall 30-plus years ago and new inscriptions. These new inscriptions are from people that I've known and collected over the years. People from residences, friends, and other artists I've worked with and learned from. It becomes a way to start a dialogue, not just about shared spaces, but about what we do in public spaces, how we define public versus private, and where we leave our mark.