herman de vries (who deliberately renders his name in lowercase) lives in Eschenau, Germany, close to the Steigerwald. This forest-and nature in general- is his studio. According to de vries, nature is our primary reality. Not only is it the place where he creates his works, it is also his subject, because he addresses the
Behind the Scenes: A Conversation with Mark Dion
Mark Dion creates sculptures and installations that explore and critique the history of science and institutional representations of nature. For decades, he has attempted to “understand the ideas that have shaped our social history of nature and have led us to our current suicidal relationship to the global environment.”
Heroic Inventions: A Conversation with Lewis Colburn
Philadelphia artist Lewis Colburn creates whimsical objects and installations that embrace a histrionic sensibility of character- with materials playing the starring role. From elaborately staged photographs and performances to meticulously sculpted objects and museum simulations of Americana, his work exudes fabricated stories and generalized dictations of history.
Robert Grober: Ordinary Ambiguity
Thirty years ago, Robert Gober produced several dozen sculptures of sinks, built up of plaster, wood, wire lath, and metal, and covered at the top with semi-gloss enamel. He began the series in New York in 1983 with the inexpensive materials he could then afford.
Pinaree Sanpitak: The Body is the Code
In Theravada Buddhism—the prevailing religion of Thailand—the color white has a very specific meaning. Representative of the principles of purity, it is considered the color of knowledge and longevity. Pinaree Sanpitak’s 2014–15 installation Ma-lai: mentally secured, at Tyler Rollins in New York, was almost overwhelmingly white— lit in a way that cast no shadows, which
Virginia Maksymowicz: Strong Supports
From the first glance, Virginia Maksymowicz’s “Bread” series clearly recalls antiquity. These works abound in motifs taken from Greco-Roman architecture—caryatids, Corinthian capitals, columns, and volutes—but as the viewer comes closer, the point of reference shifts. The Hydrostone and fiberglass/resin forms have less to do with Greek and Roman marbles than with plaster casts of the
Daisy Youngblood: Shifts in Consciousness
Recent years have seen a resurgence of interest in the work of women artists, many of whom have been in the art world for multiple decades. Last spring, “Works in Progress” in T: The New York Times Style Magazine, featured 11 women (in their 70s, 80s, and 90s) whose work “we should have known about
Corporeal Transitions: A Conversation with Doug Jeck
Seattle-based sculptor and University of Washington associate professor Doug Jeck has been bridging ceramics, photography, and performance for more than a decade. His work, influenced by static physicality and historicity, maintains the human object at its center.
Michael Esbin: Actions in Stone
Michael Esbin belongs to an outstanding, now mature generation of stone-carving artists, although it must be admitted that this kind of work is not supported as much as it used to be—especially in America. Esbin moved to Italy some 35 years ago in order to embrace the stone carving there.
Ideas Can Last Forever: A Conversation with Richard Long
Berlin Circle, 2011. River Avon mud, view of installation at Hamburger Bahnhof, Berlin. Richard Long’s practice involves walking great distances in the wilderness, then pausing to make works referencing natural and cosmic phenomena experienced along the way.
