ART-PRESENTATION: Martin Puryear
Martin Puryear began his career in the ‘70s alongside other members of the Post-Minimalist generation. Working primarily in wood, he has maintained an unwavering commitment to manual skill and traditional building methods. His sculptures are rich with psychological and intellectual references, examining issues of identity, culture, and history. His drawings and prints are less well known, but they are equally essential to the artist’s studio practice.
By Dimitris Lempesis
Photo: Parasol Unit Archive
Martin Puryear’s solo exhibition at Parasol unit foundation for contemporary art spans almost 40 years of the artist’s career and presents 30 works, including sculpture and works on paper. In the ground floor gallery are large-scale works, such as the “Big Phrygian” (2010-14. This 150 cm tall cedar-wood sculpture, painted bright vermillion, resembles the distinctive conical shape of a Phrygian cap. People of ancient Eastern Europe and Anatolia wore such caps, which in the modern world have come to signify the pursuit of liberty. “The Load” (2012), a wooden cube-shaped structure mounted above an axle connecting two found wooden cartwheels. This mobile cage, or cart with a long pulling shaft, has inside it a single gigantic eyeball looking out to the rear. Any viewer looking in through the wooden grid at the eye’s dark glass pupil will find their own reflection captured within the cage. In the first floor gallery amone others is ”Phrygian Spirit” (2012-14), a mixed-media wall sculpture, made predominantly of Alaskan yellow cedar, simply defines the negative space of a Phrygian cap. In contrast to the fragility of that piece is the sheer solidity of the iron sculpture “Shackled” (2014_, which recalls the shackles worn by slaves when they were taken to America – a clear commentary on social history. Also on presentation is a selection of prints a lesser known part of his oeuvre. On the outdoor terrace of Parasol unit is the towering evocative bronze work “Question” (2013-14), which appears to rise up like a shiny, twisting liquorice lace and anchor itself to the ground in a bulbous gourd-shaped form.
Info: Curator: Ziba Ardalan, Parasol unit foundation for contemporary art, 14 Wharf Road, London, Duration: 19/9-/12/17, Days & Hours: Tue-Sat 10:00-18:00, Sun 10:00-17:00, http://parasol-unit.org
