Five Questions with Tara Kopp
Brooklyn-based painter Tara Kopp creates architectural models with miniatures--dolls, furniture, and other objects she collects --which become scenes for her premise. The doll-like characters are surrogates for the average urban dweller.
1. How did you start using miniatures? Describe your process.
The first miniature that entered my work was using a wine cork. I was a bartender at the time and had wine and champagne corks around my apartment. The wine cork seemed to be the “male” and the champagne cork seemed to be the “female.” This was the first time I had used something small to represent a human. I had wire - and made little arms for them. They seemed to take on a life of their own, but didn’t quite stand alone as sculpture. So, I posed them which served as a model for a painting. I had no idea at the time that this would be the beginning of me using models and small objects in my work. Eventually, I moved from using the corks to miniature dolls.
2. What is the importance of using miniatures?
I love miniatures because they mimic life. The little people represent real people. When representing humans, an element of play and humor is added. Art mimics life too, but the miniatures forces you to look through life through a different lens. I am drawn to scenes where the dolls can be dolls. When they are awkward, when they don’t bend quite right. When they fall - they don’t get hurt. They are emotionless. But, you can create the emotion through the mood / palette in the painting, and also with their pose.
3. How do you develop the mundane moments you depict?
I am inspired by architecture and design. By the miniatures themselves. Everyday life. Relationships. People. Photographs from my life. These elements enter my work in one way or another.
4. How has the pandemic impacted your practice?
In many ways, the themes in my work really relate to the pandemic - being at home, feeling isolated. Early on when there was a lock down, the pandemic gave me permission to stay at home - which I am a homebody, anyway. In some ways, it just gave me more material to draw from. I saw many artists change themes, temporarily - painting from home, focusing on everyday scenes - and this was very inspiring to me. It was great seeing into the lives of other artists 'at home' during this time.
5. What do you hope the viewer takes away with them from the show?
I hope the viewer takes away a sense of play about their lives. What if I was a doll in a painting? What would I be doing? How would I be posed? What moment would I freeze in time? I'd love to have these answers for future works.