Flossing may be one of the most familiar routines in oral hygiene, but artist Adam Bock is presenting it from an entirely different perspective as part of ArtPrize 2026 in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Bock’s work, FLOSS, which is on display through October 3, 2026, at DeVos Place Convention Center, explores a typically private act on a dramatically different scale.
In his artist statement accompanying the work, Bock describes flossing as an intimate and personal routine before explaining how the artwork turns that experience outward. “FLOSS flips that concept on its head. It is visceral, confrontational, and quite literally in your face,” Bock writes.
Light plays a central role in the work. According to Bock’s artist statement, FLOSS can effectively become four different paintings depending on how it is illuminated. Under natural lighting, viewers see one version of the work. Exposure to ultraviolet light at 395 nm and 365 nm alters the colors and image, while residual ultraviolet charge allows the painting to glow in the dark after the surrounding light is removed.
The artwork includes an interactive component. Viewers can shine a provided ultraviolet light on FLOSS to observe the color transformations. Bock notes that the duration of the ultraviolet exposure and the distance between the light and artwork affect the reaction.
ArtPrize is an annual international art competition and cultural event held in Grand Rapids. Founded in 2009, the event places artwork in galleries, museums, storefronts, parks, businesses, and other public spaces throughout the city. ArtPrize awards more than $400,000 directly to artists through public and juried voting and distributes more than $200,000 annually in grants. The event is presented through a partnership among the City of Grand Rapids, Downtown Grand Rapids, Inc., and Kendall College of Art and Design of Ferris State University. ArtPrize 2026 runs through October 3.
Bock is a returning ArtPrize award winner. At ArtPrize 2025, his work Robin Williams: A Living Portrait received the $10,000 Public Vote award in the Time-Based category. The work was also exhibited at DeVos Place Convention Center.
More information about the event is available at the ArtPrize website, https://www.artprize.org.
Figures and Images
