Artist Nari Ward creates large sculptural installations that are composed of found object materials that celebrate a variety of concepts such as site histories, community stories and temporary architecture. For the Whitney Biennial in 2006, the artist created “Glory,” a large tanning bed made from oil barrels that are designed to imprint the American flag onto the skin. Other works include a large wall stacked[…..]
The inventive sculptures of German artist Birgit Dieker are centered on the body. Thematic considerations are equally placed on the inside and outside of the body and often rely on material to offer extended content. The artist regularly uses materials that commonly interact or make reference to the body, such as textiles, leather, rubber, human hair, life belts, bandages and body suits. Together, the concepts[…..]
English-born artist John Isaacs explores contemporary experience though a variety of media. Each work embodies a dark and cynical sense of humor, mixed with the gothic and grotesque. Isaac’s sculpture, video, installation, photographs and paintings depict an odd spectacle that, in the artist’s words, are: “places we can get lost and the utopias we dream of. The wrong turns we take, directed by ego or[…..]
The sculptures of Texan artist Erick Swenson often feature the vulnerability of animals in both nature and in the man-made world. Swenson skillfully creates these installations by casting each element in a polyurethane resin and then meticulously painting them. These surreal works are the result of the artist’s obsession with dioramas, stage sets, taxidermy and prosthetics. His sculptural tableaux have the ability to include the[…..]
Last fall, artist Kendell Geers exhibited new works with the Stephan Friedman Gallery in London. Geers is known for exhibiting works that disrupt and confront the viewer’s commonly held values, morals and principles. The artist works through a variety of media, including painting, ready-mades, neon sculpture and video, most of which contain some element of text. Geers often uses objects with loaded content such as[…..]
One of Brazil’s most famous artists, Ernesto Neto creates room-sized environments for the viewer to navigate through and interact with. By using light, stretchable fabrics and organic shapes, filled occasionally with scented spices, Neto’s work allows the viewer to experience the work through all senses, creating a spatial labyrinth for the journey through the passages in the room. Currently, Neto is collaborating with Merce Cunnigham[…..]
Havana-based artist collective Los Carpinteros creates work that investigates the intersection of art and society and often takes the form of architecture, design, sculpture and drawing. Los Carpinteros consisted of artists Marco Castillo, Dagoberto Rodriguez and, until 2003, Alexandre Arrechea. The group first adopted the name Los Carpinteros (“The Carpenters”) in 1991, choosing the collective name as a way of abandoning an individual artist persona[…..]
