Artful Moments

Steed is just back from London (very hush hush) in time to accompany me to the opening of the Whitney’s group show at Altria, “Burgeoning Geometries: Constructed Abstractions.” We are not of the New York art world, although I have dabbled in sculpture and oils. But we are happy to exercise our fine art muscles when the opportunity arises. The space is large and industrial, and probably looks best in the day when filled with light. But the impersonality quickly evaporates as the human element floods in. This is not the establishment, but the young artists looking for their place in it all, and in relation to one another.

The show is aptly called—geometries are burgeoning everywhere you look. The pieces are dimensional by nature, with textures coming from “the materials of everyday life: cut paper, felt, discarded paint, straight pins, left-over Styrofoam, fluorescent lights, or cardboard,” as detailed in the press release. The pieces are testaments to labor-intensive hand-craft within larger installation visions. The press release again offers guidance, that the small, intricate elements are meant to “direct the viewer to the sprawling, interconnected nature of modern life.”

Steed liked the piece that combined a biological motif with the pink and red of a valentine card. And having thus connected personally, we took our leave.

 Mapeel     12/06/2006     Steed, Whitney