Storm King Art Center, an open-air museum in New York's Hudson Valley, offers Arlene Shechet: Girl groupthe most ambitious exhibition of his outdoor sculpture to date, and the first to pair this work with his indoor ceramics.
Arlene Shechet studio in New York City. (Photo by Lexie Moreland/WWD/Penske Media via Getty … [+]
On display through November 10, the exhibition showcases six new large-scale commissions, ranging in height from ten to twenty feet and lengths up to thirty feet, plus interior works in wood, steel and ceramic.
Shechet's girl group”responds to and extends the legacy and techniques of contemporary and postwar sculpture in Storm King through the artist's signature emphasis on process, color and form,” the museum said.
“Group of girls asserts a feminine sensibility in the hills, fields, and galleries of the Storm King. This series of sculptures adapts the Storm King's monumental vocabulary to Shechet's unique voice. Recognized as a reference sculptor who has radicalized ceramics, Shechet now takes on industrial materials and inaugurates a new stage of her work. It brings a variety of vibrant colors (pinks, oranges, yellows, greens, blues, and purples) to the Storm King terrain for the first time. The works a group of girls incorporating nature as a material by using it as a negative space and reflected image,” he added.
said Shechet, “For a sculptor, Storm King is 'the promised land': a landscape of rolling hills, mountain vistas and fields populated with significant works by renowned artists. I am honored and excited to join the dialogue in this historic place and persuade it with my exhibition group of girls.”
“This exhibition exemplifies Storm King's collaborative approach to exhibiting: the creative support we offer and our unparalleled landscape invite artists to reach new and ambitious directions in
his practice,” said Nora Lawrence, Storm King's Artistic Director and Chief Curator.
Arlene Shechet: Girl group has emerged from the artist's work in ceramics, specifically his recent series Together, which will be exhibited in the galleries of the museum building. Developing the new outdoor sculptures over three years, Shechet prioritized process and improvisation over preconception by alternating between digital media and intuitive handmade methods, always ending with the handmade, Storm King added.
“Like a musical band whose harmonies evoke the title of the show, Shechet's sculptures make rhythms together. Installed throughout the landscape and making dynamic gestures to each other, they create frames for nature and the sky. Experiential works that change as the viewer moves around them, the sculptures' stillness drives the viewer's movement. And for those who want to stop and take in more of the works, a new series of artist-designed benches offers seating close to Shechet's lively exterior forms,” the museum concluded.
The exhibition is accompanied by public programs, including walking tours with Shechet and evening dance performances through his works.
