Switzerland is a small countrv of considerable wealth. It also has a tradition of collecting art, especially contemporary art….see the full feature in June’s magazine.
Pier Walk: Shrinking, Shrinking
Pier Walk, the annual outdoor sculpture exhibition at Chicago’s Navy Pier, shrinks steadily as commerce invades places where sculptures once stood. Originally constructed in 1916, Navy Pier is a long, shed-like structure, surrounded by a spacious pedestrian promenade that extends 3,000 feet out into Lake Michigan.
Geometric Sculpture in Equilibrium: Fletcher Benton
Fletcher Benton’s workplace is located in the light industry district of San Francisco. The busy 6,000-square-foot space is 23 feet high and can easily hold the forklift needed to assemble his large sculptures. It is filled with the noise of hammering, cutting, and welding—work performed by Benton’s assistants.
Natural/Cultural: A Conversation with Alan Sonfist
Alan Sonfist has bridged the gap between humanity and nature for four decades. His works from the 1960s presaged what we now see as environmental art-artists working in the land and on site in our of cities, talking bioregionalism, site specificity, and an ephemeral approach to artmaking….
Forum: Absence Versus Presence: The 9/11 Memorial Design
Perhaps it was doomed from the start. The open competition to design a memorial for 9/11 was launched amid unclear and shifting parameters. Daniel Libeskind’s winning design for the rebuilding of the World Trade Center site, ostensibly selected for its respect of the space and its relics, embraced the memorial concept.
Sculpture to Enlarge Our Reality: A Conversation with Tony Cragg
Tony Cragg was born in Liverpool in 1949. His high school studies were science-oriented, and in 1966 he got a job as a technician in the research laboratory of the Natural Rubber Producers Research Association….see the full feature in May’s magazine.
The Responsibility of Privilege: A Conversation with Alfredo Jaar
Artist, architect, and filmmaker Alfredo Jaar lives and works in New York. His installations and individual artworks have been shown around the world. He has participated in the Venice, São Paulo, Johannesburg, Sydney, lstanbul, and Kwangju Biennials, as well as Documenta….
Harry Hauck: A Hunger for Bodies
From a distance, they appear solid: stone bodies, sturdy columns that fill the room. Whenr approaching them, one sees seams and valves; the dark grayblack of their surfaces creates the physical sensation of the presence of skin….
