2021, Installation images from the Cincinnati Art Museum, Ohio

In 2018, the Cincinnati Art Museum invited Future Retrieval to

mine its decorative arts and design collection and identify

objects from the storage vaults to serve as catalysts for the

anachronistic exploration at the heart of the artists’ practice.

Parker and Davis were assigned two galleries to use as

project spaces where they would show their work in combination

with the museum’s objects that inspired and, in many cases,

completed new pieces. The resulting mashup has injected fresh

interest and meaning into objects that have, in the past,

undeservedly been overlooked.

“Close Parallel” implies two things that are strongly related,

but not the same; a pair of lines, forms, or ideas that travel side

by side but arrive at distinctly different destinations. Katie Parker

and Guy Michael Davis who collaborate as Future Retrieval

specialize in using historical artworks as a springboard to

conceptualize and create fresh, original works that reference

or are close parallels to past artistic achievements while

simultaneously vaulting them into a modern-day context.

Through Future Retrieval’s work, both object- and

installation-based, historical designs gain a contemporary

relevance and accessibility that entices viewers to dive into

forgotten sources and forward thinking explorations.

Close Parallel, Cincinnati Art Museum