Upon my visit to The Susanne Hilberry Gallery in Royal Oak, the multitude of miniature sculptures created by John Rowland fascinated me. The Gallery was embodied by this middle aged American artist's work. Its unavoidably captivating presentation created an atmosphere of little distraction. It was seemingly impossible to avert. By the strenuous process of analytical elimination, my favorite piece was an untitled array of glass. This arrangement was approximately 8"x8"x2", forcing you to stand near. This allows you to beguile at the unique texture of each layer of glass. This piece was successful in entrancing my imagination through its relation to how it plays as a filter.
This gallery was a very plain, open, deserted space. The embodied walls of art proffered that nothing else was necessary. Contrary to this illusion, I believe this work would not be as interesting in the real world. It would be overlooked because of its small size. You would only see it if you sought it out. The large sculptures that were located behind the building were successful in grabbing the gaze of pedestrians, however lacking in detail and concept. There were two dogs playing in the gallery. Their toys were scattered across the floor. The presence of animals gave the room a more natural feeling, complimenting the art. Art generally is the product of natural creativity, not the struggle for attention through labor. It gives a more elegant presence rather than a mechanical exhaust
Going in to the gallery, I had little knowledge of the artist. From his art, I learned a lot about his character. He performs the repetitive task of welding solid objects and applying irrelevant textures to form a new way to think about the objects. He does not dazzle us with size in most of his work. A key trait he maintains through his work is the beauty of dysfunctional material mess. It is purely aesthetic. The 3rd dimension makes you want to feel it as well. This curiosity is his most effective characteristic, dragging onlookers inwards in need for a physical connection.
His work is unique and not easily reproducible. Today, everything is online. His sculptures could be generated precisely in 3D software. Even these digital 3D sculptures would be fascinating. His sculptures carry a value that can only be gained through their presence. You cannot simply remember the art from a picture image of it. It looks different from every angle or perspective you view it from.
I kept thinking about how things would appear if looking through the transparency of this glass sculpture. It inspired me to want to create it digitally. I haven't done so yet but may play with this concept in the future. I felt a connection with this artists style of wackiness in art. To be wacky is to be strange. Relating to something wacky takes the strangeness from it as well as yourself. To be peculiar is a generally negative attribute but to be amusing is the opposite.
Why do physical sculptures that do not make any logical sense appeal to us? Are they persuading us to seek escape from reality? What can we learn from the creation of unusable materials? Royalty has been known to collect art because they can afford it. It represents power and wealth. Today, anyone can own art. However, sculptures are still an expensive commodity because of the materials it is composed of, skills, effort, and concept in its creation, and irreproducibility. In a world of remediation, this is a rare commodity.
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