Susan Graham’s Sugar Sculptures

Posted on September 30, 2011 by Linnea

Susan Graham’s Toile Landscape is a collection of works that were just at Schroeder, Romero & Shredder Gallery that the artist moved back to her Smack Mellon studio in time for DUMBO Arts Festival. I loved the intricacy of her all-white creations (yes, despite the yellow tint to my photograph these are white.)

Detail of above

Graham presents trees, towers and other tableaux here with delicate lines. Graham made these pieces out of sugar–in fact out of sugar, egg whites, wood and wire. (In fact, s culptures made of sugar are by no means a new thing, and apparently can last quite a long time.) In addition to sugar, the artist also works with porcelain. Here we have small landscapes of sorts, but more confrontationally in terms of material vs. content, she makes delicate white guns and lawnmowers.

Mark di Suvero at Governors Island

Posted on August 2, 2011 by Linnea

Mark di Suvero’s large steel sculptures have taken over the lawns at Governors island this summer, and I couldn’t think of a better way to see them. The scale suits the large lawns, and seeing them with Manhattan or the Statue of Liberty as a backdrop is a treat. Somehow despite the imposing size and weight of the I-beams and salvaged steel, they still feel playful. The kids got the same vibe–more than one was trying to crawl or hang from these works this past weekend.

Rust Angel, 1995

Rust Angel, 1995

Old Buddy (for Rosko), 1993-95

For Chris, 1991

For an interesting history of the artist’s relationship with dealer Richard Bellamy, plus some much better photos, check out 16 Miles.

Sol LeWitt: Structures at City Hall Park

Posted on June 17, 2011 by Linnea

The idea becomes a machine that makes the art.

-Sol LeWitt

The Public Art Fund has created a Sol LeWitt cubeland in the grass of busy City Hall Park, not to mention creating a very informative accompanying website to go with it. Up through December, you have plenty of time to come down and stroll among his 2-dimensional creations.

Worker touching up the aluminum sculpture with white paint

Le Witt, who died in 2007, was a prolific and influential American artist whose structures, or sculptures, demonstrate his Conceptual and Minimal roots. This outdoor installation of sculptures tracks his work from the more recent organic and colorful forms of the 00s to the white cubes of the 70s that began it all. I would have enjoyed seeing more of his later works–Splotch stands out starkly against the other white geometric structures, but certainly the earlier works are more emblematic of his oeuvre.

And so, a backwards chronology: