Optimal Delusion
July 6-July 28, 2024

By highlighting gender inequity in domestic and unpaid labor, Optimal Delusion questions established notions of value. By connecting perceived patterns, Webb maps domestic labor, making new connections with each installation by responding to the limitations of space. A THREE-PART DISSECTION OF THE RUG THAT I SWEEP THINGS UNDER, MAP MOP, and THE DEVIL AND GOD ARE BOTH IN THE DETAILS, are a series of drawings on disposable mop pads. The patterns and pads are connected physically and visually, elevating their importance through repetition. SCROLL highlights the fragility of these connections using perforated wet wipes. DREAM CATCHER accentuates dust patterns on air filters by celebrating the work it takes to remain invisible. Lastly, FE MINI START and BUT THAT’S NONE OF MY BUSINESS are dryer lint fire starters, which use grid patterning and the bundt cake form to suggest femininity and class, which is reinforced by organization and hierarchy.

About the Artist
April Webb was born and raised in Florida. She received her undergraduate degrees from Flagler College in St. Augustine and her MFA from Florida State University in Tallahassee. Webb’s work has been exhibited internationally. In recent years, her work has been shown at CICA (Czong Institute for Contemporary Art) Museum, Rollins Museum of Art, The University of Central Florida Art Gallery, and The B-Complex in collaboration with Strange Matter Atlanta. Her work is on permanent display at the Florida State University Coastal Marine Laboratory. In 2022, Webb was a finalist for Pathways: The Carlos Malamud Prize, and in 2020, she received the Jim Boone Endowed Art Scholarship which rewards exceptional achievements to graduate students making work about social justice issues. Webb currently works as an adjunct professor and studio manager at Florida State University. She teaches in the Foundations Department and The Painting and Drawing Department.