The Contemporary Dayton presents A voice from I don’t know where, new work by Tyler Macko. This series of new paintings speaks to an entanglement of prescribed American history with the more felt, ongoing experience of family and place.

Macko’s practice pulls from the histories of collage and assemblage. They are constructed from found objects, many with personal references to growing up in Dayton OH, and his familial history. Decorative rugs, Raggedy Ann dolls, berry pies, maps and decorative needlepoint textiles find themselves among the focal points in the topography Macko’s works.

Pressing against elements are materials like yarn, textiles and rope that are hand-worked into the teeming visage of the paintings. These materials and iconography explore a specific Midwestern cultural history; one in which the artist grew up and remains surrounded by.