Inaugural Exhibition
Robert Bowers
Sorel Etrog
Elisabeth Frink
Mark Gomes*
John McEwen
John Ivor Smith
September 11, 1981 – March 31, 1982
Photograph by Peter MacCallum
Robert Bowers
Artist Statement
This work has layers of meaning expressed in the dualities of the images which represent function, permanence and shelter. The viewer is placed in the position of having to discern it as art, separate from the world of functional objects, and is pushed to consider a key issue: 'how does something acquire meaning?'
Robert Bowers, Sandcastle, 1980; wood, cast iron, steel, plastic; 96" x 72" x 108"
Sorel Etrog
The triangle, crisp and cleanly formed, is slid open with such apparent ease as to contradict the physical properties of the corten steel. The formal concerns of proportion and connection are treated simply and directly.
Sorel Etrog, Ploughspace, 1981; corten steel; 139" x 60" x 192"
Elisabeth Frink
The classic equestrian statue receives a contemporary interpretation in this rough textured bronze weathered to its natural blue-green patina.
Elisabeth Frink, Horse and Rider, 1975; bronze, ed./3; 102" x 108" x 30"
Mark Gomes
The viewer is invited to enter the narrow corridor and stand inside the stacked wire mesh boxes in order to experience the paradox of being simultaneously enclosed by the structure and exposed by the transparency of the material. The door, portal and overall form of this architectonic work recall ancient shrines and earlier cultures.
Mark Gomes, Untitled, 1980; steel, gabions, wood; 108" x 48" x 144"
John McEwen
Two moments in time are expressed by two images. One represents the attenuated moment of a single stride of a horse drawn out into 16 phases. This has been set into an ambiguous relationship to the other image, which is the compressed moment of a barn burning. The distortions of image and time lead the viewer to experience and question the process of 'how do we know what we know?'
John McEwen, (One and One), 1979 - 1981, flame cut steel; 16 horses, each 13" x 1" x 21"; burning barn, 12" x 16" x 24"
John Ivor Smith
A part of the human form, balanced precariously on its foundation, examines the relationship between mass and weightlessness.
John Ivor Smith, Inverted Section, 1972; fiberglass, reinforced polyester resin; 120" x 24"
*See Mark Gomes in Literati
