“The Model Railway House is the most authentic creator: the engineer, the architect and the master of his own timeline,” a statement about Josh Dihle’s craziest exhibition, Basement arrangement.
Hundreds of tiny objects from coral to Lego, Dihle concocts a fantastic world where characters turn into terrain, with surprising details in each cavity. Peek at the cheek of “Moreau/Detrick Rieliquary” and find a wool mammoth with wooden stones on it. The “confluence” is similar to the fingers of the carved fish on the foamy and flat ground with the trees and palm trees.
Dihle’s sculptural painting evokes the model’s railroad and doll house, combining recognizable objects but with an incredible (if not biased) perspective. The large piece stretches nearly five feet, hangs on the wall, and forms a contrast between the entire composition (direct observation) and the optimal micro-small interlude, ingesting at a 90-degree angle. Take a step back and see the aerial view of the hills, shaped like a lips or sunken nose, while the close-up inspection turns into a dazzling hunt to capture unlikely items in each crevicle.
The title of the exhibition originates from hermit amateurs who seem to be alive when they are reclusive in the world they create. For them, it seems that outsiders escape the reality of trying to organize chaos and control even in the form of toys and assumptions.
If you are in Chicago, see Basement arrangement In Andrew Rafacz to July 18.
Details of “Convergence” (2025), oil, acrylic, colored pencils, resin, fossils, rocks, LEGOLAND, marble, marble, beach glass, plastic toys, coral, coral, pulp, stucco, jam, foam, cherry, cherry, cherry and carved walnut“Moreau/Detrick Iriquary” (2024), walnut, pulp, stucco, foam, faux fur, objects found on panels, acrylic and oil, 40.25 x 31 x 13 inchesDetails of “Moreau/Detrick Rieliquary” (2024), walnuts, pulp, stucco, foam, artificial fur, find objects on the panel, acrylic and oil, 40.25 x 31 x 13 inches“Crispy Star” (2025), oil, acrylic, casein, colored pencils, LEGO bricks, fossils, rocks, plastic toys, marble, motorcycle bricks, buttons, buttons, carved walnut, pulp, stucco, stucco, foam, foam, foam and panels, 47 x 21 inches, 47 x 21 inches“Convergence” (2025), oil, acrylic, colored pencils, resin, fossils, rocks, LEGO, marble, marble, beach glass, plastic toys, coral, coral, pulp, stucco, jam, foam, cherry, cherry, cherry, and carved walnut, on panels, 57 x 45 x 19 inches“Witness” (2025), Casein, Colored Pencils, Rocks, Fossils, Eyeball Agate, Agate, Amber, Discovered Objects, Plastic Toys, Mosaic Tiles, Marble, Lego Toys, Beads, Thumbs, Thumbs and Carved Beach Glass on Basswood, 18 x 14 x 1.5 inches x 1.5 inches“Fallfall” (2025), acrylic, turquoise, meteorite, fossil, marble, rock, plastic toys, pulp, gypsum gauze, twine, maple, maple and foam, 42 x 32.5 x 11 inches“ra” (2025), casein, acrylic, resin, turquoise, rock, LEGO, find jewelry, plastic micro-machine, fossils, beach glass and walnut on panels, 13.25 x 10.25 x 1.25 x 1.25 inches“ra” (2025), casein, acrylic, resin, turquoise, rock, LEGO, find jewelry, plastic micro-machine, fossil, beach glass and walnut details, 13.25 x 10.25 x 1.25 x 1.25 inchesInstallation view of “Basement”
