 |
|
reviews
|
|
Sculpture
September - October 1994 Commissions John Monti, Untitled (Black #3) Utica, New York |
|
|
Sculptor John Monti's interest
in containment, especially the forms and spaces in containers, is reflected
in his site-specific piece, Untitled (Black #3), installed for two
months at the Munson-Williams-Proctor Institute (MWPI) in Utica, New York.
The artist says his fascination with interior spaces stems from the intrigue
of spaces within "...architectural forms, monuments and tomb sculpture
... Faberge minatures and utilitarian container shaps ..." The inside
of Montis sculpture contains a segmented plywood frame covered with black
vinyl cement. It is enormous, measuring 40 fee by 23 feet and slopes
gently upward to a height of 21 inches. When Monti was invited to
creat a temporary piece for the 6,700-square-foot space, he carefully studied
the court, observing human interaction with the space as well as the museum's
architecture, designed by Philip Johnson in 1960. Conspicuously paced
in the Museum of Art building's Sculpture Court, his floor sculpture forced
museum goers to circle its perimeter and contemplate the dimensions of the surrounding environment.
The weighty, black sculpture appears both attractive and occasionally inyimidating.
Concerning his Minimalist work, Monti says, "... the single most important
aspect in my sculpture is the inherent contradiction of making an image
that is deliberate, clear, refined, has order and exists in our tangible
reality but is imbued with veiled associations and intangible references
..." An artist working in Brooklyn, New York, Monti build Untitled
(Black #3) during a two-month residency at Sculpture Space. - Anne Harnish
|
|
