Friday, February 24, 2012

Sperone Westwater's "Marble Sculpture from 350 B.C. to Last Week"

 "Marble Sculpture from 350 B.C. to Last Week"  was curated by Gian Enzo and the collection of sculptures ranges from old romantic busts to present day replicas of everyday household items. The title of the show is gets straight to the point: a gallery filled with an obsessive amount of marble from past to present.

As you enter the gallery sculptures are spread throughout the entire first floor. At first the installation is confusing because the sculptures are not in chronological order but after spending time on the first floor you begin to appreciate the mix of sculpture. Tom Sachs' "Brute" (2009-2010) an exact replica of a Brute garbage can carved perfectly out of marble. The beautiful white gleam of the marble contrasts with the older yellowed sculptures which pulls out the vibrant creamy white of the fresh marble. The garbage can was placed on a large table and right next to it was an old yellow head. Such a strange arrangement but none the less very interesting.

"Marble Sculpture from 350 B.C. to Last Week" has prehistoric busts next to modern day consumer items rendered with such precision a machine must have taken part in some of the recent sculptures. Any type of show that has a primal feel with a contemporary glitch is sure to delight any person who enters the gallery.

2 comments:

  1. Overall I agree with your findings of this show, though I think there's more you could do to be more specific about your experience. For example, in the first paragraph you say "old" to describe the busts, but maybe linking them with a movement, style or period of art history would be helpful. Statements like "The title of the show is perfect" or ...is an amazing show" are really general, and with some more incisive language could be really strong and drive your point(s) home.

    I am totally behind your emphasis on the love of materials-- this show was definitely an homage to the medium, and I think you expressed that nicely.

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  2. Your review of this show comes off as very enthusiastic and in support of the show which I think is appropriate and deserved. But I think you could express this by giving specific examples and a more descriptive analysis of the artwork. Ideally you could encourage the reader to see the show based on your description rather than based on your opinion. I think Erica is spot on in her suggestion to leave out vague qualifiers and stick to describing the specific work at hand.

    I would have loved to hear your thoughts about the significance of this exhibit within the context of the current art world climate- the curator's choice to make a show based on the medium seems to be significant. In an age where medium specificity is no longer deemed that relevant, this show is all about medium. What does this mean? In my opinion, while the pieces themselves are impressive and awe-inspiring, the curator plays an equally important role in the success of the exhibition.

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