Maxwell Hartley
The Visitor
by Adrienne H . Lee
Heart Pine Cube , heart pine sculpture
Maxwell Hartley is not of this world . He is a visitor from a parallel universe ; one in which natural resources are cherished like gifts and are conserved and preserved . The humans in his universe reject the perpetual desire for more and for new and for the newer still — desires so rampant in this universe . In his universe , Hartley is a punk sage endowed with the understanding of how quickly a civilization crumbles under its obsession with superfi cial systems and ideologies . Knowing this , he is charged with the task of delivering humankind in this universe from its own demise — self-destruction via mass consumption . Assuming the guise of an artist , Hartley embarks on a seemingly impossible mission . It is a Logan ’ s Run-style odyssey to free humankind from its self-imposed shackles of consumerism before time expires . In thirty short years , he has accomplished so much , but there is more to do .
The humans in this universe live disposable lives and Hartley ’ s gift ( and curse ) is the ability to see below the surface of everything . Everything . His work begs the viewer to seek a life of substance and to abandon the need for instant-gratifi cation . His artwork encourages the viewer to relinquish a life spent fl oating on the surface and to sink like an anchor into a world of meaning , emotion , and purpose . His work continually suggests that feeling the pressure and darkness and uncertainty of the deep oceans of life are necessary to human existence .
Orlando Arts & Culture , v . 2.2
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