New York and Ghent, New York
Hionas Gallery and Art Omi
The lyricism of postwar Matisse and the muscularity of postwar American art are often viewed as opposite ends of the aesthetic spectrum. Alain Kirili’s recent work, shown at two different venues, implicitly addresses this polarity. He first explored this path in 1978, when he began incorporating wire into abstractly modeled terra-cotta volumes. A few years ago, twisted wire and rubber works revealed a fertile re-engagement with gestural abstraction, as Kirili moved away from the totemic and volumetric creations that had defined his work for the past two decades. His recent creations hover between two and three dimensions. Linear iron arcs, twisted and hammered by the artist when they were red-hot from the forge, trace richly textured lines on the wall with the casual feeling of a drawing on paper and magically convey Kirili’s love for Matisse and Picasso, as well as David Smith, Jackson Pollock, and American jazz. …see the entire review in the print version of July/August’s Sculpture magazine.
