Cory imig
ARTIST STATEMENT
What is the relationship between two-dimensional shapes and three-dimensional forms? How can manipulations of a space foreground its changes over time? In what ways can imagined manipulations shift perceptions of a space without any physical changes at all? I examine questions like these through a process of building, moving, observing, and rearranging the assembled spaces that surround us. These methods produce large scale installations and site proposals that alter spaces physically, visually, and temporally.
My manipulations ask the viewer to imagine space differently, including how it interacts with their body, how they move through it, and the objects within it. The installations play with perceptions of both the second and third dimensions, inviting viewers to flip back and forth between them. This process intentionally blurs the boundaries between the physical space and the work itself, and brings the viewer in as a moving component of the work. Everything is active.
These installations, which I refer to as site-sensitive, equalize the balance between place and time. I respond specifically to each site, allowing materials to shift and dictate relationships between one another and the space itself. A key strategy is how my installations change during the time they are installed. Components of the work move fast or slow, and linear elements stretch when tension loosens and gravity becomes apparent. These various time scales exist not only in the work but also in the site itself.
Similar to the physical installations, with Site Proposals I again ask the viewer to collapse their experience of space, transforming two-dimensional Google Earth images into three-dimensional possibilities. Through physical collage, I propose possibilities just as real as the images themselves. The line between the digital and the physical becomes active. By subtly manipulating perceptual cues, the work shifts in and out of reality, slowly blurring the line between the built environment and the imaginary. This work asks the viewer to question what they are perceiving, challenging their ideas about permanence, space, and place.
ARTIST BIO
Cory Imig is an interdisciplinary artist, curator, and arts leader based in Kansas City. Her multifaceted practice includes large-scale installations, curatorial projects, and the development of experimental spaces that support artists and challenge traditional institutional models. With a deep commitment to fostering creative communities, Cory’s work often operates at the intersection of collaboration, site-responsiveness, and public engagement.
She has exhibited her work nationally at institutions such as Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, the SCAD Museum of Art, and the Nerman Museum of Contemporary Art, has participated in numerous residencies across the country. and was awarded the Charlotte Street Foundation Visual Artist Award. Her large-scale installation work responds to the architecture of specific spaces, creating immersive environments that invite viewers to slow down, notice, and shift their perspective.
In addition to her studio practice, Imig has co-founded several influential artist-run initiatives, including PLUG Projects, Say Uncle, and Beyond Alternatives—a convening for artist-run spaces outside major metropolitan art centers. Most recently, she co-founded Impractical Spaces, a book series celebrating the legacy and impact of artist-led spaces across the United States. Her work across these projects reflects a long-standing investment in reshaping how artists are supported and how art communities are built from the ground up.
Imig currently lives and works in Kansas City, where she continues to champion artist-centered approaches and build platforms that imagine new futures for art-making, collaboration, and care.