Kim Rugg
The Illusion of Perception, 2012
Wall paper and varnish
Reception Area
14th Floor
Dominating the back wall of the waiting area is a site-specific artwork made from thousands of wallpaper fragments. The artist uses everyday printed material, postage stamps, newspapers, comic books, cereal boxes and cuts them into tiny pieces. She then meticulously reassembles them into distorted versions of their original selves. These reconfigurations lend her two dimensional works a subtle 3D trompe l’oeil effect, creating an illusion that the work seems to swell out from the wall.
Her small framed works are examples of the artist’s mail art, by which she atomises stamps, dissecting them into tiny pieces that she reconstructs to comic effect. Rugg then posts the artwork envelop and only if it arrives at its intended address, does she consider it a completed artwork.
About the artist
Kim Rugg (b. 1963, Canada) holds an MFA in Sculpture from the Royal College of Art, London (2004). Her practice focuses on the meticulous deconstruction and reassembly of familiar printed materials such as newspapers, comic books, and postage stamps, often rendering their original content illegible or altered beyond recognition.
Rugg's work explores the relationship between images, objects, and their signifiers, forcing viewers to reconsider the information they encounter daily. By rearranging content within its original form, Rugg transforms neutral, functional objects into playful, sculptural interpretations of communication systems.
She has exhibited internationally, including at the National Gallery of Art, Washington D.C.; Museum of Contemporary Art, San Diego; and Honolulu Museum of Art. Her work is included in the collections of the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, and the Norton Museum, Florida. Rugg has received numerous awards including the Thames and Hudson Prize (2004), and lives and works in London.