NADA House 2024

For NADA House 2024, P.A.D. presents an outdoor sculpture by Marissa Delano, drawing inspiration from kitsch ‘garden mirrors’ and other reflective lawn ornaments. On the front porch at NADA House Delano installed a unique, hand-engraved mirror adorned with nail decals, vinyl and personal ephemera–i.e. ‘domesticity’ vis-a-vis girly materials.

“The Not-So Secret Garden 1” is typical of Delano’s work, favoring innuendo over explicit content. Sourced from Craigslist, the Disney brand mirror elicits feelings of wonder and whimsy that beg to be disturbed.

Here she emphasizes the garden as a place of abundance, carnal affection, and as euphemism for body hair (the site of emergence). The in-situ assemblage reflects (literally) the bucolic surroundings of Governor’s Island while positioning the garden as a place where desire remains elusive.

Delano’s work makes use of an array of materials exploring themes of cuteness, the toxic nuclear family and sexual deviance. Her work is also inspired by the concept of ‘Availabism’ or making use of what’s available– a term coined by artist Kembra Pfahler.