Salty Lemons

Tara Donovan's (Untitled) Mylar, 2011
Chelsea Gallery District, NY from my 2011 archive

Tara Donovan's (Untitled) Mylar, 2011
Chelsea Gallery District, NY from my 2011 archive

Tara Donovan's (Untitled) Mylar, 2011
Chelsea Gallery District, NY from my 2011 archive

March 23, 2011

"...greater than the sum of its parts"

It was either last year or the year before last when I saw a piece by Tara Donovan at The Armory Show. I never forgot the piece because (1) the work was by Tara Donovan (2) the piece failed to impress me. I remember being so disappointed because normally her work resonates strongly with me, emotionally and intellectually. Now I understand why. As soon as I walked into the gallery on West 22nd Street, everything became clear. The piece that previously failed to impress was a very small fraction of a larger installation that is now on exhibit.

The work is breathtaking. The Mylar (like the other materials she uses: toothpicks, tape, Styrofoam cups, pencils, buttons) was transformed until it became something else. The reflective surface on the piece gives a great illusion of depth, and the installation as a whole reminds me of mercury drops. I witnessed many people enter the gallery, turn to their companion and just smile. Love that. It is a piece you want to stay with and remember forever.

At one of The Pace Gallery's other locations on 25th Street, Tara Donovan's Drawings (Pins) were on exhibit. Unfortunately, that show has closed and another show is in its place. Her pin drawings are equally impressive and were a hit with the crowds. Each large scale drawing is covered with hundreds/thousands/tens of thousands of nickel-plated steel pins. The work reminds me of Agnes Martin but still uniquely Tara Donovan. There were a large number of school groups (which I think is great and educational), and I saw a few teens getting up close and personal with the work. They were touching the pins in one drawing, pulling and pushing the pins in and out. Oh no! I had to say something and I did. I glanced around for their chaperone who was nowhere in sight, and the museum guard was texting on his cell phone. I cannot really blame the students for wanting to touch the work. The materials are familiar, and Donovan's work always plays exactly on that--the viewer's familiarity with the materials. She then surprises the viewer by transforming everyday materials into something unexpected, precious topographical landscapes that are great works of art.

archives: Art