The Drawing Center's
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33 The Drawing Center
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A b stractTendencies
Fat [2 o o 2 Sel e c t ions
Jo n cn r mB eronu Pe r e nD u o er Wr l l rn mD urY N t s En r r G JeR D E V T K Kn n l J e H s e H Kn r n l e e r uM cS H A N E A t tN P t e n L S u z n n n e Sou c C n n o l t r u eVn ruD n n n me Essay bySuserreMtru
P l a y i n gat A b stracti on S us er r e M t r,r art. of culture,everydaylife,and contemporary Theinstinctto ptayis a centralelementin the understanding we w hat w e are doi ng, p o i n te d ty " H eedl essty, barel y consci ous of i n H o m o Ludens, c o mme n ts Huiz in g a J ohan doodtingemergefantastic ptaywith linesand planes,curvesand masses,and fromthis abstracted thi s Tendenci es" i ntri nsi cal share ly l r h u m a nfo rms . "Thearti stsi n " A bstract ar abes ques tra , n g ea n i ma o game of w hato f l i n e s ,s h apes, col ors,anddesi gnsw i thi na chal l engi ng inc linat ion t o a rra n g ea s s o rtme n ts In thei ri ndi vi dual w ays,manyof the arti stsat once if s ,t es t ingt h e l i mi tso f a rti s ti ci n te g ri tya n d p racti ce. strategi es that unsettl eor e e s eru l esthroughdari ngandi nventi ve c r eat et heiro w n ru l e sa n dc h a l te n gth and drawing. technology, orderof abstraction, tweak,in one way or another,the estabtished w i th a qui rky E xecuted not e sth a t " Pl a yc a nb e ,a n dv e ryfre quentliys, ofthe utmostseri ousness." Huiz inga andP eterD udeki s seri ousbusi ness. , i tsGj erdevi k, andgent les e n s eo f h u m o r,th e w o rko f An nPi bal N U poncl oser col orl i nesarei rresi sti bl e. of repeated Pi b a [' My s l a rp ai nti ngs V is uat lyplea s i n g a n dfa m i l i a r, verticalstripesand horizontalbandscuttingacrossthe seriesof tasty-colored inspection, her swatch-book deviatefromthe edgeof the Mylarat pictureplaneseemsomewhat"off." Rowsof linesand parallelograms patterns. H er to l ogi catlorder y andsequence s si on m o m e n tsc, o n fo u n d i nth g e v i e w er' compul unex pec t ed andcol ori n s u m o ro u s luyn s e tt l eart-hi stori cal aboutabstracti on assumpti ons " dis appointi n gp"a i n ti n g h relationto kitschand the decorative. obs, y acedsurreal i sti c-tookiblng of randoml pl ' s ldraw i ngs s d y w o rk s ,Gi e rd e v i kwal I n c ont r astto Pi b a l ' ti pri mordi al H i sart and anecdotal . seemat once , n do th e ro rg a n i cs h a pessomehow s pir alss, quig g tyl i n e s a Yethis saturationof disparatestyles, a rebellionagainstatl typesof formalism. cattsforth a kind of anarchy, perspectives strategyof negationthat actualty is the resuttof a programmatic mutedcolors,and converging and utti mategoalof ForGj erdevi k, the foundati on I n e tso f abstracti on. s t r ainst o s t a yw i th i nth e tra d i ti o n ate practiceis to create"a perfectlyopenwork...[that] make[s]useof variousartisticvocabularies his conceptual wit houtc ons tru c ti nagn e wa u th o ri ty ." wasworriedthat absolutes, Technotogy createsorderout of chaos.Writingin the latethirties,Huizinga forebodethe wouldobstructplay,threatenits existence, of newtechnologies andthe development ultimatums, of a Tendencies," however, suggestthe possibility Theartistsin "Abstract endof realandtruecivilization. production, intervene new technologies digital media, and industrial indicating that stightlydifferentapproach, of suspicion art is anddoes.Theseartistsseemto shareHuizinga's whatptayandcontemporary andtransform of experience and ambivalence towardsits deformation imptyingthroughtheirworka disquieting technology, and laterAmerican technotogy, its retationship to drawing.Butwhereasthe earlyabstractartistsembraced primarily artistscometo termswith technology, reactedto it, manyof the 'AbstractTendencies" abstractionists for Karl use the computer, geometric and William Duty, Suzanne Song, forms. throughthe useof Jensen of drawing-paper,pencil,andink.For to the basicmaterials instance, but onlyas a meansof returning example,Duty'sdrawingappearsat firstglanceto be a far cryfromthe sortof digitatimagerynormally of hissubiectmatteris indeedcomputerproducedby Photoshop, andyetthe intensegraphicrendering blazing, of silhouettes, generated. objectsin hiswork,whichappearto be faithfutrenderings Thenature-like real; gallery-like simply not are, at some levet, in setting, trees a rows of ltatian cypress fires, or apparitionaI anachronistic draftsmanship-an means of traditional in his mind.At the sametime,by theywereconceived graphicrendering of Duty'simaginary Theobsessive makeshisfictionscredible. modeof documentation-he processof digitalmedia, anddematerializing by a computerundoesthe translation sublectmattergenerated real.Hisdrawingsbecomean absurdformof control a dialecticbetweenthe reaIandthe reordered estabtishing overnatureandtechnology.
presents of a lapidary, or D (dimension) a tongue-in-cheek trompeI'oeilreconstruction Suzanne Song'sP/osfrc for 3-D to make"tayftat"z-Ddrawings template-adraftingtooI bearingcirclesand rectangles engineer's, hastransformed the by engineers anddesigners Theuseof computer-based softwaretechnology construction. ptasticor metaltemptateintoa virtualtool promising not onlyaccuracy andefficiency oncematerialty-based pinkandmilky visions.Song'ssynthetic but alsoendlesssimulations of alternative 3-Ddesignsand unbounded transparent temptates at onceprotrudefromandftoaton the walt,hotdingin tensionthe divisionsbetween newandold technologies, art andartifice,itlusionand reality. paperinlaysconjureillusionsof a fourthdimension-theplayingfieldof a lnitiatly, KarlJensen's constructed with precise Closeup,the cotoredpapers,whichfit togetherlikea puzzle,Scotch-taped videogame,perhaps. perspectives with revealan impressive convergence of views.Throughthe mixingof isometric demarcations, createsa andwith deftand preciseuseof an Exactoknife,Jensen the traditional strategyof foreshortening, or the endof an electronmicroscope." cyber-reality fromthe pointof viewof whathe describes as "a satellite, paradoxically and perspectives, creating Technological advances takeawaythe abilityto discerndistances "deprivedof humanity." futuristic[andscapes that arevast,empty,and lastly,in the wordsof Jensen, persists. ForJensen, is a wayto engageandcometo termswith the Abstraction Song,and Duty,abstraction of technology. In contrast, employing simplemeansand threatto humanityposedby the encroachment geometric in a kindof abstract Van Damme, and Kathleen McShane engage forms,Joachim Bandau,Caroline ptaythat is far fromsomeof abstraction's dystopianora othermodes-neitheran escapefroma technological andreality, for a lostutopianideal.Rather, theirspatialplayblursdistinctions betweenappearance consolation betweenwhatis perceived andwhatis known. produced. fromafar,to be Bandau's Untitledappears, At firstglance,Joachim blacksquaresseemmechanically negatives the layersrevealthemselves a pileof photographic or layersof tintedglass.Uponcloserinspection, madeby a thickandextra-wide black strokesof watercolor as uninterrupted lapanesebrush.Thelarge-scale From rectangular voidcreatedby his layerssuggests an entryintoanotherworld,a window,an absence. of grayand blackthat framethis rectangular squarenot onlyprovidea anotherperspective, the gradations fromFrankStella's"whatyou Diverging sensuous depth,but alsotransformhisdrawingintoa proto-sculpture. you of two-dimensional art. seeis what see,"Bandau's shadowsthriveon anddefythe formaIstrictures ruler-like worksmadeof anodized Caroline VanDamme's aluminumpaperinterrogate the "picture"plane, betweenbackground andforeground, art objectandwall,andabstraction and blurringthe distinctions representation. Similarty, Kathteen McShane's cut-outdrawingsmadeof paperandpencilquestionthe surface of a drawingon paper.Drawingis hermaterialsource,in whichherworksserveas studiesor reviewsof the properties. medium's mostbasicandexpressive Abstracting etements fromthe repertoire of drawing-a partial Diagonalis a cut-outform linefroma cloudor a thoughtbubbtein a cartoon,for example-McShane's membrane. Theholesor "punctures" that she repeated overandoveragain,resultingin a snowflake-like but alsocomplicate the togic makesnot onlyrevealthe institutional spaceandsupportsof TheDrawingCenter, generated itself. that meaningis only withinan artwork no matterhowgreator smalt. Ptaying is an activity, embedded in materiaIprocesses, resultingin consequences with a limitedamountof timeandspace,shapesandcolors,the Setections artistsal[,in theirown Confronted ways,openup alternative realitiesby trustingtheirintuitionsandtendencies-ultimately by lettinggo andiust pt ay ing th e g a m e .
Because of an editingerror,thefourthparagnphof "Playingat Abstraction" wasomitted.lt shouldreadas follows: PeterDudek3floorinstallationcombines thevisualvocabulary withModemist of abstraction architectural principles in a quifty,almostimmesiveway.InA DrawhgforMonika,Dudekincorpontes dnwingson paper with readymade objectsof everyday ephemera madeof felt andcardboard to createat oncea dramaticfictive landscape anda Modemistbuiltenvironment. Abstnctinggeometric formsftomobiectshefindson the floorof hisstudio(andin hisimagination) andthencombining themwithfantastical unrealized buildingsdesignedby the likesof Miesmn der RoheandLeCorbusier, Dudekrendersanarchitectunlscenethatls botha playground piecesthat traguety and,in somesense,a banlefield. Thematrixof discrete architectunlelements-colorful resemble matedalobjects-phpicallymanibsta chaosusuallycontained withinthenattwodimensional forms ofcartoons.
J o n c H r nBnR n o R u Thereis a "knife'sedge"in thesewatercolors. lt is the lineof waterthat ariseswhenthe thickbrushis movedslowly,regularly,and with steadypressureof the wrist abovethe roughsurfaceof the paper.An noise,a vibration,a slighttwitchingof the arm couldinterruptor destroyit; it hasto be made unexpected is finished.Thiswater-linedividestwo layersfromone anotheror withoutinterruptionuntilthe brushstroke contraststhemwith the whiteground.lt is alwayssharpand precise;the moreblackthe areathat is limited by the water-line, the moreit appearsas an edge;the morethe areaapproaches the whiteof the paper,the moreit becomesan independent line,a line not madeby a silverpen,but a hand'sbroadbrush.Theeye perceives leadinga handthat hotdsa pen immediately the tracearisingon the paper.But Bandaucan recognize the finalformof that water-line onlywhenthe wateris evaporated. Thelargewatercolorpaintings are madeslowly:Processes of dryinginterruptthe work.Thesurfacesof the paperincreasingly filt with pigments;the spectatorfeelsthe saturationthat is reachedin the end.Paperssaturatedby pigmentsreflect in the light.Theknife's the tightin a specialway,they suckand swallowit and losetheirown materiality physisand metaphysis, edgehereis a tightropewalk betweenmateriality and immateriality, an appearance, phany. - Adaptedf rom' Schwarz-Aquorelle" by WolrcnneBrcrrn an epi , B oRN 1936 , r x C o t o e x e , G e n n lxv; L r vEs AND wo RKs r N AACHENGenml ry.
Untitled,2ool Watercoloron paper Sg 71 8x39 3 14in. Untitled,2ool Watercoloron paper 59 718x 39 314in.
BANDAU, Untitled,2ool.Watercolor on paper,59 718x39 jl4 in. JoAcHrM
Pe rE nD u o e x perfect,white-cloud-smoky HouseDreamrng.'A thoughtbubbtecontaining Dominostructure Corbusier's phantom perhaps, risesfroma Cape-style house.An apparition,a or is it the sublimateddesireof a conformistsuburbandwellingmadeevident,a formerhamletof passivityseekingthe thritlof modernist production? Thetriumphof the /essis morefun dictum. HouseDreaming is froma seriesof architectural cartoonsandcaricatures-drawings that incorporate buitdings designed duringthe sameerayet obviously at oddswith oneother.Mailorderhousesfromthe Sears& Roebuck catalog,visionary drawingsby Corbusier, residential unitsby Miesvander Rohe-a[[appearon the greed,anddesireareplayedout throughthesearchitectural samepage.lssuesofjealousy, envy,fantasy, juxtapositions. Buildings dreamof andcompetewith eachother,pursuemomentsof self-satisfaction andglee, thendevolveinto nihilisticandself-destructive behavior. Thesearebuildings with a consciousness, an ego,nay, a superego!Theyeschewpassiverelationships with mankind, seekinginsteadself-replicating or divine capabilities whileproactively eludingthe ever-present wreckingball.In anotherdrawingthe Dominohouseis tiftedthroughthe cloudsand into the heavenson the handsofGod.Salvationat [ast,this is the true ark! Utopianhallucinations strugglingwith the voraciousappetitesof zoth CenturyUrbanRenewaI and suburban development-afamiliarand deliriouspredicament. Precedents? RemKoolhaas's DeliriousNewYorkwasa majorearlyinfluence.I stumbleduponthat bookbackin the lateseventies and its anarchicuseof history, fusedwith the built and imaginaryNewYorkcityscape, left an indeliblearchitectonic dent in my psyche. HouseDreamrng reflectsand makesobviousthat dent,that aspectof my interestin earlymodern architecture. Suchdrawingsa[[owme to commenton and engagearchitecture in a way that I do not always do in my sculpture.My sculptures are oftenmoreambiguousandthe workingdrawingsthat I makefor them areequa[[yspeculative. Notationa[, not representationat, theyarea first steptowardobject-making and drawinginstallations. ln thesemostlyabstract,looselyarchitecturaI freeplayand doodling scribblings, prevail.Basedon this activitya symbioticbirth-festof lineand formtakesover,objectsare made,the redrawn,drawnagain,then built as somethingentirelydifferent. ensuingformdrawn(interpreted),
Bo RN 1952,r r A oem sM , A ;r-rv eAs N Dw o R K rn s B n o o x r-yN r.r, Y. A Drawingfor Monika,zooz Floorinstallation with paper,felt,wood,metal,marbtes, cardboard, foam,masonite,MDF,and pa(icle board Dimensions variable
PerenDuoer,HouseDreaming,2oo2.Penciland coltageon paper,20 x 20 in.
Wrllrn mD u r y In makingthesedrawings,I startwith a simplethemeor visualidea.lt is usuallysomethingthat intriguesme in its simplicityof form but hasa veitedor perhapsforgottenmetaphorical appeal,suchas the stylized contourof fire or the shapeof sails.I thentry to thinkof howthat ideamightbe presented in a fictional presentation space,as we[[as how to createthat spaceand populateit with objects,arrangements, projections, or othervisuaIphenomena basedon the workingtheme.Theseideasthendevelopinto a variety of constructions, and the themeor the spaceoftenchanges,leadingto newthemesand spacesor to deadends.Generalty, I stopwhen I feel I havecreatedsomethingthat altersor expandsmy associations with the originalsubjectmatter.Usuallythis is somethingthat I hadn'tintended. Makingthe drawingsthemselves feelssomewhatlikecarryingout longexercises intendedto "solveproblems in drawing."I both loatheand enjoythis part of the process-it demandspersistence but leads,sometimes, to an unexpected feelingof hypnosis,not unlikethat encountered whenperforming repetitiveexercises on a musicalinstrument. Mostof the drawingsdo concentrate on one or anotherof the medium'sconventiona[[y didacticthemes-line,contour,perspective, shading,and so forth.But theseare byproducts of an image designedin advance: Theyarethe formalized summaries of variousfreehandsolutionsto the drawing process. Theyare [ikegesturessnappedinto a diagram,thoughno diagramis visible. Thepurpose,in my mind,is to createsolutionsof a sort-"proofs," as it were,in somefieldwith whichlam unfamiliar, the text of whichis compelling to the eyeand seemsto foltowsomewindinglogicalpathbut the purposeof whichremainsuttimatelyunclear. Thefeelingthat somethingis beingascertained that at first looksmysterious, but which,whenunderstood, is just as tikelyto turn out to be absurdas profound.The feelingis closestto lookingat a mathematical prooffor the existence of Godthat is equallyconvincing in provingthe existence of aliens. Bo RN 1970 , r H A H c o N , P l t a l l l n ; L tvEs AND wo RKs tN Qu EENs, N Y.
Diagram,zooz Graphiteon paper 8xrzin . Partition,2oo2 Graphiteon paper Sxrzin . Animation,2oo2 Graphiteon paper uxr3in . Scrim, zooz Graphiteon paper uxr3in .
WI L L I A MDu r y, Pa r titio n ,2 o o 2 . Gr a p h iteo n p aper, 8 x rz i n.
N rusE n rrG,r R o e v rr Whenyou comparemy muralwith the surrounding drawings,whichdemandclosereadings, a contradiction is createdbetweenthe monumental andthe ethereal.Thepositionof the individualwork is altered,letting the drawingbe a drawingin the drawing.Anothersort of contradiction is foundin the differentformsof perspectives/creations you pictorial-architecturaI ofspace,where havea destabilization that triesto extend the spaceboth in the individualdrawingsand in the mural.And that goesalsofor the mixtureof techniques and materials, whichconstitutea gatheringor clashof categories. Hopefutty this clashdissolves the limitationsof the categories and therebyunderlines the possibilities of the spacein between.Thereis in the individualworksa visualpoeticsthat createsdifferenthybridsbetweenart-historically basedmethods.Not in orderto redevelopthe well-knownmodernistic strategies and pitfalls,but to usethemas a trick,with the aim of creatingan artisticrefuge,a sort of androgynous spacein between,whereno givenideologyis illustrated, but wherethe work canstandas independently as possiblewithoutbeinglockedinto a specific authority. Bo RN 1962, r N O s L o , N o n w n v; L r vEs AND wo RKs r N Co p ENHAGEND, ermnnr.
Untitled, zooz Acrylicdrawingsand paint on wall Dimensions variable
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N t s E n r r GJERDEVTUn K,title d ,2 o o l. Acr ylic on paper, 22 x 30 i n.
Knnl JENSEN Thesedrawingsarecontemporary landscapes. Coolandthin and insubstantiat. Theyreflectthe emotionaldistance of technology's visionby replacing the centralityof perspectivaI convergence with the infiniteparaltelsof an isometricfietd.In this fietd,everywhere is nowhere. Yetatl is observed, witheringundera mechanical eye.As images,they betraya fascination with,as wellas an inabilityto overcome, the unyielding ambivalence of technology. In spiteof theircarefulcraftandvitalityof colorthesedrawingsareessentially dead. WhenI saydeadI meanthe feelingI get fromthe disparitybetweenmy excitement overcertainimagesandthe uttersilencethat receivesit. Sateltiteimageryandelectron-micrographs areviewsacrossfrighteningly unimaginable tengths. Theyaresupreme technological achievements andI lookat themwithawe.Yettheyare essentially authorless, andit is thisabsence of humanity thatsignalsa different world-in particular, a worldthat doesnotcare,because it cannotcare,for me.All thatdistance, all thatspace,but nota soul.I wantto go there butthe spaceis frightening. I chooseto drawin part becauseit is immediateandthus easier:There'slessanxietyaboutscrewingup. Because of the easederivedfromthis immediacy, drawingdoesn'tstrikeme at firstas beingso daunting.Of courseonce you get into it you find out that this is not at a[[true.Drawingis a lot of workand,in this sense,is actuallymore tikea Troianhorse:fullycapable of causing troublein spiteof its benignapproach. As my drawingshavedevetoped andcomeinto theirown,theyhavetakenon certainaspectsof their "drawingness." Withan increasing sensitivityto the materiat(paper),the imageryhasshiftedtowardsthe depiction of paper-thin elements. In allthe drawings therearesimpteformsthatmateriatize in the light,taking shapefacetby facetuntila stringof reflections is combinedto createthe illusionof a form.Onethingthat I particularly likeaboutthis wayof drawingis howthe imageservesto underscore the immateriality that both illusionandmaterial share.Theeaseof thispleasure reflects the immediacy of the medium.Untike, say,painting or sculpture,drawingenjoysa casualness that stemsfromthe factthat it is somethingwe a[[do on a daitybasis. Thusit is somethingwe don't necessarily attachsignificance to. lt is familiarandso it is accessible andenjoyable. WhenI was in gradeschoolI rememberbeingtold that the raysfromthe suncouldeffectivety be considered parallelby the time they reachedthe earth.Thedistancewasso greatthat it wasmeaningless to thinkof the light as still diverging.Likethe raysof the sunthe sight-lines of visiondivergeas they moveawayfromthe eye. perspective Conventional is basedon this singlefact.Butas distancesincrease, this divergence becomeless pronounced until it eventuallyseemsto disappearentirely.Here,at the marginsof perspectivat space,is whereI locatemy drawings.lt is the worldof parallellines:isometricspace. BoRN 1964, r N A u s i l N , T X ; L r vEs AND wo RKs r t Bn o o r lyr u , NY.
Alpine Scene,zoot Paperinlay t3tlzx5 tl4in .
Split, zoot Paperinlay t 4r lz x 53l4 i n .
Reluctant Path,2oo2 Paperinlay 7 7l16xt9 rl8in.
LaminarBreak, zoot Paperinlay t93 l4x7 tlzin.
SpentLink, zoot Paperinlay t t r l4x 6t lz i n .
Amphibian Relay,zooz Paperinlay 6 ttlt6x16 t5l$in.
OrangePool One,zoot Paperinlay t5x7 tlzin .
ThreadDrift, zoot Paperinlay 5 Slt6 x ro 3l$ in.
OrangePool Two,2oo:. Paperinlay 79 31 4x7 tlzin.
Divergence, zooz Paperinlay 6 3lt6 x n nlt6 in.
KARL Splif (detail),zoor. Paperinlay,r4 tl z x 5 3l 4 in. JENsEN,
KnrHlEe nM c S H n r u e givenits twoKathleen McShane's workhaseverything to do with space,whichis initialtysurprising, perhaps go so far as to suggest dimensional medium.In positing(andaccepting) sucha statement, onecould (zooz) that a work like OPENEND functionsin sucha way as to raisethe question,Whatis a drawing? Onewayto beginanswering this questionwouldbe firstto examine whatthisdrawingis madeof. Paperand pencil,yes,but thereis more-or, rather,[ess.McShane hasviolatedthe surfaceof the paperwith carefully executed cuts,so by lookingat herworkto seesomething, oneinsteadfindsholes,absence, nothing.But behindtheseholes,oneseesthe wallsof TheDrawingCenteritsetl andso,in the end,one looksthrough nothingto seesomething; almostparadoxically, oneis simultaneously awareof an absence withinthe workand the presence of the supporting wallandexhibiting institution. TheformsMcShane demarcates throughthe pencilmarksandcut-outholesappearas cartoon"thought bubbles"turnedinsideout. In a sense,the spacesrevealed by the cut-outsarereallythe spacesbetween thought;theyevadethe limitsof the papersupportandthe interiorworldit frameswithinits rectangular format.WhenMcShane cutsawayat the edgeof the paper,it is as if shepunctures a surfaceheldtogetherby tension,defyingour desirefor pictorialunity,altowingthe worldoutsideto rushrightin. Onecanreadthe edge of the paperbothas a frameandits opposite-it is a framethat is in the process intooblivion. of disappearing Whenthe holesarefullycontained withinthe sheetof paper,one bothapprehends the outsideworldbehind, andthe intactpocketsof spacewithin,the areaof the paper.In fact,by cuttingit away,McShane actuatly highlights the materialpresence of the paper,asserting its functionas a veilor a membrane that in turn serves as a thresholdbetweeninsideandoutside. Theindividualpencilmarksmapout the gameswith spacebeingplayedby the workas a whole.Oneseesa line,a borderbetweenpaperandvoid.Following the curveof the line,oneseesit loopandfold backon itself, changing direction. Theareawithinthe loopis not cut away-one seesit as something drawnon the surface. As the tinecontinues to curveand toop,curveand loop,it finallycomesfull circle,andthe largershapewithinis cut away.0ne seesthis spaceas something drawndespitethe surface. Thespacewithinthe loopsis imaginary, represented space;the spacerevealed by the cut-outsis architectural, realspace. (paper,penci[,cutOPENEND is a workthat relishesparadox, humor,the uncanny. Thepaucityof its materials out)forcesoneto acknowledge the relativegrandeur of the architecturaI spaceit makesvivid.Withverylittle, the workencompasses botha worldoutsideandan imaginary worldinside.So,in answerto our initial question -what is a drawing?-thisworksuggests it is thatwhichperforms the magicaI featof making putling something nothing, out of of the worldout of thin air. MrennLurr BoRN 1964, r N C L E V E L A N DO,H; r - r ve sAND wo RKs r r uDe r n o r r , M l AN D P H TLA D E LpH TA P A, .
OPENEND, zooz Wallinstaltation with 6o pieces,graphiteon cut paper Dimensions variable
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Ar{r{ P re n L Coloris olmost brond new in the world. -Donald ludd
Theclassiccolortheoristsmighthavedescribed khakias the hue mostat peacewith cubicle-based productivity, mostreceptive to imposedsociaIorder.Seekingto understand colorsnot onlyas chromaticbut as socialvalues,theywouldcertainlyhavenotedthat,at oncepliantand Rotarian, khakishunschromatic confrontation, insteadbaskingquiettyin the reflectedbtueof its uppercompliment. But as it haspursuedthis generally kindof ethicalPantone, colortheoryhas beenwrittenin carefullycontrolled atmospheres, where colorswatchesarethe onlysourceof information. Lessfrequentlyis it attemptedamidthe taxonomicrushof urbanlife,with its jarringandtemporary effects,its involuntary after-images, its advertising vortexes, softly absorbingand re-directing attention.Context,in fact,hasalwaysbeena problemfor colortheorists,and practitioners: not onlythe bleedsfromsurrounding shades,or the humanddistortionfromobservingbodies, problem but the of establishing whatonecouldcalla genrefor the colorexperience in question.Insteadof seekingthe essence of btuein the ether,one nowaskswhetherone is registering a giventealas the primary hueof a 4o-footMadisonAvenueskirt billboardor as a continentof indeterminate foodstainglimpsedon a passingt-shirt?A shagcarpetclose-up? paintingwithinthe airOr as the centralrectangle of a cotor-field conditioned humof a nationalmuseum? Whatbindscolorsto particular contexts? Whatgivesthemthe authorityto operatenot as packages, say,but as affectiveart experiences referencing a historyof suchprior exoeriences? Confronting thesequestionsin herdrawntreatiseson the subject,AnnPibaloftenrepeats[inearcolor sequences withinparatlet bandsas a wayto assertfor the almostarbitrarycolorof the firsttinea second, companion color,whichtogetherforma context-anInstitution, even.Thisdesirefor self-grounding might explainthe doubtings and nearsymmetries in heracrylicon Mylardrawings, in whichdoublestripsof orange, slategray,and navyblueappear,for instance, againsta darkergraybackground-or, in whichsimilarbands teamup to formtwo nearlyidenticatparallelograms greenfield,oneinchingjust beyondthe on a pea-soup other-inchingfromcontraststudy,perhaps, almostto logo.Andit is perhapsthisstighthintof the commercial worldthat signals,evenmoredirectly, the natureof Pibal'scolorinquiries, wherethe institutionatly insulated precious painters atmospheres of contrasting colors to the color-field slideintoa less-bounded design context-theGermanelectronica cd cover,the Swedishcookiepackage. In the past,thisslidingwas understood as a poputarculturalchallenge to highart,a joltingmovement fromhighto low.But now,whenfew questionthe absorptive, aestheticlureofcookiepackages andcd-covers, suchshiftshavethemsetves become almostas smoothandseamless as the packaging Pibalreferences. Theresultis a kindof pan-disciplinary aesthetic absorption that emergesprecisely wherethesefoltsusedto occur.Thusonemovesfromthe now almostvulgarpreviouslanguage of contradictions andcontrasts to a vocabulary of inflections, codings,and subtleperceptual re-alignments-a language whichmightaccountfor not onlythe culturalspace,but the literaI designspace,of Pibal'swork. Enacting a rangeof doublings, recessions, and hoverings in indeterminate space,colorin Pibal'sworkseemsto guideus throughthis newaesthetic grayzone,its seemingly objective bandsnearlyeschewing the arbitrary gesture.lf we areeventemptedto treatsomeof the moreauthoritative, simplerpiecesas mandalas of this new universe, suchdiscreteness andfinalityoscillates with a senseof themas [inkedcoordinates. Pibal'sworkthus palate,and,at leasttemporarily, seemsat onceto buitdoff of a shared,slowlytransforming to obliterate a certainkindof consciousness-call it "memory"-byattowing absorption intoeachenvironment in a waythat onlyworkconcerned with color'suncontainable semanticrangecando.-Lyrle SHaw eo nN1 969,r r .M r r r . r r uenp oMLN rs;r-rv , rsA N Dw o R K tN s B R o o K LyN N Y, . Untitled,zooz Acrylicon Mylar t9 tlz x4 in.
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S u znru ru SoEru c A tool for mediatingbetweenspatialdimensions, CircleMasterNo.oozo (zoor)functionsas a visual guide- a t em p l a te -fo rth e re a l i z a ti oonf a v i rtualconstructi on. W or k ingf r om o b s e rv a ti o nl d, ra w th e fo rmo f a n actualtempl atei n perspecti ve andthenl asercutthi s plane depictedform out of plasticmaterial.Oncethe templatehas beencut and hung,the two-dimensiona[ of the wall coveredby the templateis transformed into a boundlessgroundsuggesting a dimensionthat is Plateaus,Deleuzeand Guattarireferto the capableof containingthe template'sform.ln A Thousand this "abstract"as "a linewith variabledirection,whichtracesno contour,and detimitsno form." Following thought,the templatedoesnot functionto definecontoursor to delineateforms.lt is to serveas a tooI for the definitionof a possibte(abstract)dimension,the one that emergesbetweenthe dimensionsof the t em plat eand i ts s u rro u n d i n g s . Withour capabitityto manipulateform freelyand to view multipleperspectives simultaneously throughthe aid of t he c omp u te r, o u rv i s u a le x p e ri e n cies b othextendedbetw eenthe vi rtualandthe realandchal l enged by t heirpos s i b l ec o n n e c ti o nOn . th e o th e rh a nd,thi s possi bl econnecti on l eadsto the devel opment of hybrids,whichin turn generateentirelynew dimensions. Theattemptto actualizethis relationship betweenthe "real" and the "virtual"has led me to createtools that mediatethe two throughworksthat neitherdefinenor belongto one or the other.Thelimbobetween in orderto find a dimensionin whichthey cothe two realmsfurtherinsistson a constantreconstruction exist.In Difference and Repetition,Deleuzeexpoundsuponthis relationship: ". . . [T]hevirtualmustbe definedas strictlya part of the realobject-as thoughthe objecthad one part of itselfin the virtualinto whic hit plung e da s th o u g hi n to a n o b j e c ti v e d imensi on. . . . W e mustavoi dgi vi ngthe el ements and relationswhichform a structurean actualitywhichthey do not have,and withdrawingfromthem a reality whichthey have."Althoughthe virtualand the realare oppositesthey are not in opposition,insteadthey comptement eachother.By apptyingmaterialityto the virtualand givingvirtualityto material,the propertiesofthe realand the virtualare interchanged and thus redefined. Bo RN 1974, r N G R A N DR A p r D s ,M l; L r vEs AND wo RKs r N NEwYo RK, N Y A N D N Ew H nveH , C T.
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C e n o lrn eVn n D n m me r AUIVElS r ELL. t AUNElS AN OLDLONGITUDINAL MEASURE BASED ONA MOVEMENT OFTHEARM. T AI]NEIS A SMALLEXPANDED SURFACE THATMAYBEFOLDED. DRAWING ANDVOLUME. r AUNElS A SPATIAL SURFACE LOCATED BETWEEN ITSELF FROMTHEWALLIT BECOMES A DRAWING ANDA VOLUME. WHENANAU'VEDETACHES lS A CIRCULATION lN A STABLE FRAMEWORK. r AUTVE OFCOLORS ENTITY. t AUNEtS A CLEARLY ORGANIZED t AUNElS A TEMPORARY EQUATION, MULTIPLE ANDMOTIONLESS. THEGAZETOWANDER. t AUNElS A STATIONARY OBJECT PROVOKING THEAUNESINITIATE THEFRACTIONS-TRA/ETs-TESSERAS-SAGAPONACKS.QUADRTTS-ORCADES-SEGHIT5-COBALTS, BUTDOESNOTEXPAND UPONITSCIRCUMSTANCES. r AU|VE ORIGINATES FROMA SOCIAL SETTING r AU|VECANNOT BESPOKEN. PERFORATES THEAUTHORIW OFMEANING. r AUTVE THEDEFIANCE OFWHATCANNOT BEREPRESENTED ORASSIMILATED. r AUrlEMAINTAINS OBJECT. t AUNElS A SILENT THEEXTENSION t AUNESPRESENCE CANINFLUENCE OFA ROOM. IT IS A TOPOLOGY. r AUIVE INCLUDES INNERANDOUTER SPACE.
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