ACCUMULATION Sculptures by Alben
Exhibition: March 7 - April 13, 2014
Opposite: Victoire de Somathrace McDonald’s, Mixed media in resin, 35 5/8 x 28 x 16 3/8 in | 90.5 x 71 x 41.6 cm
Alben’s latest solo exhibition at gallery nine5 presents the French graffiti artist’s first foray into sculptures of immense scale. Working through his fascination with accumulated objects, Alben encases found items of visual and personal significance in resin molds of classically canonized figures. The use of discarded Americana that Alben gathers in France, the United States, and China find their homes in busts of Marilyn Monroe, Mao Zhedong, and Greco-Roman Davids, as well as life-sized standing statues of Venus de Milo, Star Wars figures, Disney’s Snow White, and the winged Victoire de Samothrace. Alben’s background in engineering as an aircraft technician is on full display here. His deft handling of the material is evident particularly in his full-scale molds of Victoire de Samothrace. The hardened resin is manipulated into the soft drapery of a flowing gown and delicacy of feathered wings. Alben’s signature dry humor manifests itself in his Victoire de Samothrace McDonald’s, which is stuffed full of flattened McDonald’s cartons, its stand littered with french fries. The combining of traditionally important figures finds a platform in Alben’s Mao Star Wars Series, which feature small standing Mao molds outfitted in George Lucas’s Star Wars costume. A menacing Mao Darth Vader is acutely playful, as is the white Mao Stormtrooper. The flashes of recognition serve a dual purpose: one, to remind its viewer of varied cultural experience and two, to question the nature of historical significance. What, if anything, differentiates the dissemination of cultural figures from the two ends of the spectrum: commercialized entertainment and political fortitude?
In his Accumulation Bonbons series, Alben pays homage to his original source of inspiration, Arman, highlighting the characteristics of candy wrappers by enclosing them in minimal geometric shapes. The five pieces are stunning in their simple artistry, working through complementary colors and shapes to grapple with the usage of three-dimensional forms for flattened debris. His previous work in graffiti-making has left a painterly imprint on Alben’s sculptures. Alben’s eye for mixing tones to create cohesive color statements is apparent in works like Mao Debout Cars, Snow White Bonbons, and Venus de Milo Cars, which feature similar items of varying colors pieced together. Mao Debout Cars, for example, is compositionally sound, with a blue base, yellow shoes, white cars, and a bright red top, crafted from a hundred tiny toy cars. With Accumulation, Alben has progressed from constantly investigating his own obsession with objects to grappling with society’s preoccupation with tangible materiality. Examining questions of classicalism, history, and importance, Alben asks his viewers to consider what has sustained this massive population-wide agglomeration of items of the past, present, and future. Maureen Chung Exhibitions Manager
I
Accumulation Bonbons Series Mixed media in resin
Accumulation Bonbons III 11 7/8 x 11 7/8 x 2 in | 30.1 x 30.1 x 5.1 cm
Accumulation Bonbons I 11 7/8 x 11 7/8 x 2 3/8 in | 30.1 x 30.1 x 6 cm
Accumulation Bonbons IV 11 7/8 x 6 x 2 in | 30.1 x 15.2 x 5.1 cm
Accumulation Bonbons II (Cover Image) 11 7/8 x 7 7/8 x 2 in | 30.1 x 20 x 5.1 cm
Accumulation Bonbons V 11 7/8 x 7 7/8 x 2 in | 30.1 x 20 x 5.1 cm
III
IV
V
Victoire de Samothrace TsingTao Mixed media in resin 35 5/8 x 28 x 16 3/8 in | 90.5 x 71 x 41.6 cm
Victoire de Samothrace Renminbi Mixed media in resin 35 5/8 x 28 x 16 3/8 in | 90.5 x 71 x 41.6 cm
Cr창ne Gold, Mixed media in resin, 8 7/8 x 7 1/2 x 11 3/4 in | 22.5 x 19 x 29.7 cm
Cr창ne Vegas Chip, Mixed media in resin, 8 7/8 x 7 1/2 x 11 3/4 in | 22.5 x 19 x 29.7 cm
“Accumulation,” the new exhibition from Alben is a clear nod to Arman, continuing to show his debt to the late artist responsible for originally popularizing and defining the medium. Much more than mere homage, however, Alben advances Arman’s concept of resin-encased detritus-as-art. Alben’s resin vessels containing these accumulated items reference fine art objects in themselves – Michelangelo’s David, the Venus de Milo – or iconic characters from history and pop culture, like Marilyn Monroe, Darth Vader and Snow White. These important figures are reduced to little more than ghosts whose innards hold our cultural wastes. After the influx of Pop Art in the ‘60s compelled us to see advertising and product packaging as art, we have been bombarded with so much imagery in our daily lives that the question becomes “can we un-see common objects as art?” The product has become the basis of our reference. In his accumulations, Alben shows us Pop Art in reverse – the shock of seeing a Campbell’s soup can on a canvas as it was in Warhol’s day is long behind us. The shock in Alben’s work is seeing the Coke cans first, then realizing the encasement which holds them is the head of Chairman Mao. The packaging has become the focal point, leaving everything else ephemeral. Alben shows us the lack of separation between fine art and the product – our material aspirations, our desires to accumulate, are transparent. Angelo Madrigale Specialist, Contemporary Art & Design DOYLE New York
Disclaimer: Alben’s works have been sold at DOYLE Auction House New York. Mao Coke Olympic was sold in April 2013 for US$8125 and David Coke in November 2013 for US$7500. *Results include buyer’s premium.
David Coke II Mixed media in resin 25 x 15 3/4 x 13 7/8 in | 63.5 x 40 x 35.2 cm
David Red Bull Chinois Mixed media in resin 25 x 15 3/4 x 13 7/8 in | 63.5 x 40 x 35.2 cm
Dodge Charger Motherboard Mixed media in resin 5 1/2 x 16 1/8 x 5 1/2 in | 14 x 41 x 14 cm
Dodge Charger Red Car Mixed media in resin 5 1/2 x 16 1/8 x 5 1/2 in | 14 x 41 x 14 cm
Gas Coke Mixed media in resin 10 1/2 x 6 1/2 x 4 1/8 in | 26.7 x 16.5 x 10.5 cm
Snow White Bonbons Mixed media in resin 29 3/8 x 8 3/8 x 8 1/4 in | 74.6 x 21.3 x 21 cm
Mao Buste Smileys Mixed media in resin 12 3/8 x 11 3/4 x 6 in | 31.4 x 29.7 x 15.2 cm
Mao Buste McDonald’s Mixed media in resin 11 5/8 x 10 3/8 x 5 1/2 in | 29.5 x 26.3 x 14 cm Mao Buste Tide Mixed media in resin 11 5/8 x 10 3/8 x 5 1/2 in | 29.5 x 26.3 x 14 cm
Mao Debout Coke/Coke Zero (Grand) Mixed media in resin 38 3/4 x 11 1/8 x 8 1/2 in | 98.5 x 28.3 x 21.6 cm
Mao Debout Action (Grand) Mixed media in resin 37 1/8 x 11 4/5 x 8 1/2 in | 94.3 x 32.8 x 21.6 cm
Mao Debout Cars (Grand) Mixed media in resin 38 3/4 x 11 1/8 x 8 1/2 in | 98.5 x 28.3 x 21.6 cm
Mao Debout China (Grand) Mixed media in resin 38 3/4 x 11 1/8 x 8 1/2 in | 98.5 x 28.3 x 21.6 cm
Rhino Coke Mixed media in resin 7 1/4 x 11 3/8 x 5 in | 18.5 x 29 x 12.7 cm
Rhino TsingTao Mixed media in resin 7 1/4 x 11 3/8 x 5 in | 18.5 x 29 x 12.7 cm
I grew up with an obsession for objects - always I was finding things to accumulate. There was never any particular criteria for the things I would collect, except that they had to be found. Alben
Alben’s sculptures intermingle classically proven elements with contemporary mass produced items ranging from assorted candy and wrappers appropriately housed in blocks in his Accumulation series to skulls, like Crâne Gold, composed of coinage and resin that demonstrates the very clear message of commodification. David’s bust is re-rendered in resin, but his interior is housed with crushed Coca-Cola cans. The idea of the exterior shape representing something different than the interior is at play in Alben’s sculptures that include takes on the Venus de Milo, a bust of Marilyn Monroe, busts and full statues of dictator Mao and mash-ups of Mao and Lucas’ Star Wars figures. The strength of the pieces reside in an immediate recognition from the brand housed inside secondary figures that are not traditionally interpreted as brands in the strictest sense. The sculptures’ beauty as objects is apparent from the first glance, because of their lively colors and inviting shapes. John Gosslee Editor, Fjords Review
Darth Vader Coke Zero Mixed media in resin 35 1/4 x 17 1/8 x 11 1/8 in | 89.6 x 43.5 x 28.2 cm
Mao Star Wars Series Mixed media in resin
Mao Star Wars Gold 11 7/8 x 4 3/4 x 3 5/8 in | 30.1 x 12.1 x 9.2 cm
Mao Star Wars Black 11 7/8 x 4 3/4 x 3 5/8 in | 30.1 x 12.1 x 9.2 cm
Mao Star Wars Darth Vader 11 7/8 x 4 3/4 x 3 5/8 in | 30.1 x 12.1 x 9.2 cm
Mao Star Wars Yellow 11 7/8 x 4 3/4 x 3 5/8 in | 30.1 x 12.1 x 9.2 cm
Mao Star Wars Stormtrooper 11 7/8 x 4 3/4 x 3 5/8 in | 30.1 x 12.1 x 9.2 cm
Marilyn Army Men Mixed media in resin 25 1/2 x 16 1/4 x 9 1/8 in | 64.7 x 41.3 x 23.2 cm
Mickey/Michelin Ceramique Mixed media in resin 21 x 13 1/2 x 7 1/8 in | 53.3 x 34.3 x 18.1 cm Mickey/Michelin Plastic Mixed media in resin 21 x 13 1/2 x 7 1/8 in | 53.3 x 34.3 x 18.1 cm
Venus de Milo Tide Mixed media in resin 44 3/8 x 14 3/4 x 11 in | 112.7 x 37.5 x 27.9 cm
Venus de Milo Red Bull Chinois (Side) Mixed media in resin 44 3/8 x 14 3/4 x 11 in | 112.7 x 37.5 x 27.9 cm
Venus de Milo Cars (Back) Mixed media in resin 44 3/8 x 14 3/4 x 11 in | 112.7 x 37.5 x 27.9 cm
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