Buenos Aires-based Edgardo Madanes studied at the National School of Fine Arts Prilidiano Pueyrredon, taking such well-known artists as Nora Correa and Norberto Gomez as his mentors. Correa’s soft volumes, with their contrast between textile and sculpture, particularly captured Madanes’s attention, as did Gomez’s perfect balance between concept and passion.
Real and Imagined Movement: Robert Mangold
Denver sculptor Robert Mangold considers himself to be a “realist,” but his definition of the term is fairly idiosyncratic considering his abstract and non-objective works. For Mangold, who avoids even a whiff of representational imagery in his pieces, being a “realist” means that he’s interested in physical reality—in real gravity, in real movement, and in
Out of the Ordinary: A Conversation with Kaarina Kaikkonen
Kaarina Kaikkonen, one of Finland’s leading artists, first showed her work at Art Basel Miami Beach in a 2004 exhibition curated by Julia P. Herzberg and Carol Damian. And It Was Empty—thousands of used men’s jackets arranged along a wall, somewhat reminiscent of the hanging jackets in Kaikkonen’s boat-shaped installation at the Havana Biennale earlier
Straight Into the Big: David Mach
No marble or bronze for sculptor David Mach. For over 35 years, he has been transforming bulk raw materials and what many consider junk or garbage—old tires, magazines, out-of-date telephone directories, empty bottles, Barbie dolls, postcards, coat hangers, and matches—into memorable, wacky, inventive, crowd-drawing public art.
Speak, Materials: Dan Steinhilber’s Way with the Everyday
Do you remember the sound of your parents’ basement? The drone of the dehumidifier, the steady whir of the dryer, the hollow thump made by Uncle Kent’s college trunk? Dan Steinhilber does. Marlin Underground, his installation on the lower level of the Kreeger Museum in Washington, DC, (on view until December 29) consists of an ensemble
A Conversation with Adrián Villar Rojas: The End of the Human Race
Many contemporary artists create large-scale installations, but those fabricated by the young Argentinian artist Adrián Villar Rojas stand out for their audacity, originality, ambition, and fragility. Born in 1980 in Rosario, Villar Rojas has completed installations around the world, for exhibitions as far flung as the Biennial of the End of the World in Ushuaia,
Foon Sham: Crafting Dialogs
One of the hallmarks of Foon Sham’s sculptural language is his ability to cultivate a fine line between the dictates of his materials and methods and the specific context of his work. Another, which has shaped his career both as a practicing artist and as a teacher, is his dual perspective on the importance of
Ken Lum: It Takes Me Back Somewhere
East Van Rules! Sound familiar? It’s a fair bet that at some time in our lives, we’ve all attached ourselves to a sporting club, organization, gang, or place and championed our membership or affiliation. Vive la Solidarité!
The Potency of Ordinary Objects: A Conversation with Liz Magor
Vancouver-based Liz Magor uses found materials, often from the domestic sphere, as a springboard for investigating the social and emotional life of objects. In mining their history, use, and relationship to the body, she molds, casts, and alters them to explore issues of authenticity, replication, consumption, waste, value, and status.
The Meditative Eye: The Sculpture of Ron Mehlman
If not enough has been written about the sculptures of Ron Mehlman, it might be because they absolutely insist on direct visual engagement. These contemplative objects fashioned from resistant elements (stone, steel, and glass) and combined with ephemeral ones (water and light) are best approached in silence.
