Mall memories: artists breathe new life into abandoned american icon
The ghost of the Hudson Valley Mall haunts its skeletal remains, but not as a symbol of decay. Instead, a collective of artists is transforming its desolate storefronts into a vibrant, unsettling exploration of American identity – a space where nostalgia meets the urgent present.
A forgotten landscape reimagined
Once a bustling hub of consumerism and teenage dreams, the sprawling complex north of Kingston is now a canvas for The Mall project, spearheaded by curator Marly Hammer and a creative collective. They’re not simply documenting decline; they’re actively weaving it into a compelling narrative about our relationship with commerce, pop culture, and the very notion of self.
What began as a simple observation – the vacant spaces echoing with the ghosts of forgotten brands like Kmart and Sears – quickly evolved into a full-blown artistic intervention. Hammer, along with Kate Asmus and John Richey, secured access to three abandoned stores, meticulously clearing decades of accumulated dust and transforming them into temporary exhibition spaces. It’s a defiant embrace of the mall’s history, refusing to sanitize its past.
Echoes of the 90s
The current exhibition, part of Upstate Art Weekend, is a potent mix of mediums. From Dina Cline’s miniature ceramics – a Tamagotchi and a Game Boy meticulously rendered in porcelain – to Jeffrey Augustine Songco’s monumental Friendship Bracelets, the work taps into deeply ingrained memories. ‘Off Topic,’ housed in the former Hot Topic, is a particularly arresting tribute to 1990s mall culture, featuring hand-painted VHS cases and digitally printed T-shirts referencing iconic bands and films. Richey notes the store’s unique position: “Hot Topic was a space for identity research and for subcultures and countercultures.”
Elsewhere, the former GameStop houses ‘Pharmakon,’ an exhibition interrogating the blurred lines between consumer desire and ethical concerns. Linzi Silverman’s tarot decks, Kian McKeown’s trompe l’oeil sculptures, and Johannah Herr’s candy-colored rugs offer a provocative commentary on American society. And let’s not forget Stuart Lantry’s Ferris wheel of food and consumer goods, a jarring reminder of President Trump’s infamous 2019 banquet.
But the transformation isn’t just aesthetic. The mall itself actively participates in the project. Linda Colletta’s immersive installation, ‘TV Dinners,’ recreates her childhood living room, complete with period furniture and a VHS tape of ‘Johnny Dangerously’ – a tangible link to a bygone era. Marianna Peragallo’s houseplants, growing within thermoplastic shopping bags, evoke the nostalgic charm of Shrinky Dinks.
A democratic space
Hammer emphasizes that the ambition isn’t merely to exhibit art, but to “collapse the distance that often separates contemporary art from everyday life.” The organizers hope the audience mirrors the mall’s inherent democratic spirit: families browsing alongside art collectors, gym-goers passing through, and teenagers simply drawn to the unusual. “We’re encouraging them to come into these spaces and experience something they might not normally do,” Richey says. The project ultimately aims to reveal the mall not as a destination, but as a site of ongoing cultural formation – a place where identities are forged and re-forged.
The final takeaway? The Hudson Valley Mall, once a symbol of relentless consumerism, is now a testament to the enduring power of memory and the surprising potential of decay. It's a space where the past isn't just remembered; it’s actively reinterpreted.