"New Label Work" is a compilation of works by Troy Dugas. Artists often see the extraordinary in the mundane, everyday world. Louisiana artist Troy Dugas brings this phenomenon to an entirely new level.



In our consumer culture, the constant barrage of brand logos is familiar to the point of banality. Andy Warhol reflected this with his infamously snarky Brillo boxes. Product labels often do little more than subconsciously influence our purchasing habits. Rather than thoughtlessly dismissing this prosaic printed matter, Dugas is inspired to reconstruct the formal design elements into mesmerizing repetitious forms.



The mandalas and woven compositions he creates are surprisingly beautiful. From a distance, the symmetrical forms have a meditative effect, pulsating with their own rhythm. A closer look reveals a dizzying array of meticulously placed text fragments, cropped images and other fractured graphic elements of the original label. The consumer context of the label is transformed into a new and refreshing language, singular to the artist. While the product of this translation is completely modern, his method is deeply rooted in the domestic traditions of crochet and quilting. Dugas' abstract minimalistic designs are at once sophisticated, witty and charming.



Troy Dugas holds an MFA from the Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, NY. Featured in numerous public and private collections including the Ogden Museum of Southern Art, his work can be seen in volume 52 of Open Studios Press’ juried publication New American Paintings, the inaugural issue of Studio Visit Magazine (also a juried publication), the New Orleans Art Review, and David Rubin’s book “Psychedelic: Optical and Visionary Art since the 1960s” available from MIT Press, April, 2010. Dugas has received numerous accolades including the recent 2009-2010 Pollock-Krasner Grant.