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| Bequeath, 51" x 48" x46", tree branches, electrical cable, electrical conduit, coaxial wire, packing tape, bubble wrap, shrink wrap, magazine paper, t-shirts, shoes, beer cans, soda bottle, stuffed animals, injected ink |
I attended a gathering in the studio of sculptor Josh Garber about a week ago, and this piece caught my eye.
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| Close-up |
It's a wild, free form accumulation of the cheapest, throw-away materials, wound round tree branches and taped any old way to hold them into place. The list of materials on the caption to the first photo suggests that they might be a classic representation of what an artist wears, eats, and drinks nowadays (with the exception of electrical wire, perhaps). If you follow the link to his website, then look again at this new work, you'll see that it's a departure from previous work. But the more I look at it, the more I see the relation to Josh's other sculptures. His public art pieces may be made from aluminum, but they have the same looping and winding forms, and the appearance of material that may be hammered into the forms, or exploding outward from them. Notice how this trash sculpture similarly appears to be lifting up and pushing outwards.
He hasn't decided yet when this piece is finished, or where the series will end up, which is the natural way to proceed. There was conversation about casting it in bronze, which would be a striking conclusion. In it's current form, though, it's clear evidence of an inquisitive mind that's not satisfied with previous conclusions, and is open to posing new questions to itself.
