The Northside museum will highlight the work of five artists from across the globe this fall as part of its Artists in Residence program. 

By Chloe Burkart

Five artists have been chosen to present their work as part of the Mattress Factory’s Artists in Residence program this fall. The exhibition will open in both the main building and the annex building with a free reception on Friday, September 21 at 6 p.m. 

Each of the five resident artists will create a brand new room-sized installation for the exhibition, several of which will include opportunities for direct visitor interaction.

At the Mattress Factory’s main location, 500 Sampsonia Way, will be the work of Gustavo and Otavio Pandolfo, or OSGEMEOS, from Sao Paulo, Brazil. The twin brothers are globally recognized for their street-style graffiti work including murals, family portraits and dream imagery. The brothers’ new immersive installation will occupy the entirety of the museum’s fourth floor. 

The work of Iranian-American Laleh Mehran from Denver, Colorado, will also be exhibited on Sampsonia Way. The Carnegie Mellon alum uses her art to provide an often complicated commentary on the entanglement of politics, religion, science and technology. Her interactive work entitled The Interstitium will be located in the Mattress Factory’s lower level.

The Mattress Factory’s annex gallery on Monterey Street will show the remaining three residents’ work.

William Earl Kofmehl III is a Pittsburgh native known for his performance of eccentric and fascinating scenarios, as well as his use of harvested bronze and aluminum from Pittsburgh’s steel history. He uses his multi-faceted art to examine the intersections between fact, fiction and history and to comment on social roles and the division of labor. 

Karina Smigla-Bobinski is a globally recognized freelance intermedia artist based in Munich, Germany. Her work bridges kinetic art, drawing, video, installation, painting, performance, and sculpture. The Mattress Factory will show her interactive ADA, described by Bobinski as an “analog interactive installation,” “kinetic sculpture,” and “post-digital drawing machine.”

Christina A. West’s installation will consist of sculptural figures placed together around the gallery space, with various details such as color and gaze, suggesting relationships among them. The Atlanta-based artist leaves her thought provoking work open-ended and ambiguous.