The Fence in the Hole
a ready-made conceptually abstract title that can be thought of much like a Buddhist koan like “One Hand Clapping” or as a Magrittian title that is intentionally meant to first confuse than “infuse” new thinking dynamics.
This series is a revisiting of the visual and conceptual dynamics of relationships between figures along with a new third element of flat organic shapes that can be thought of as a shadow, puddle of water or the abyss. Acid Rain, 1988, was the inspiration for creating a body of work from this “one-off” idea. Depending on the individual read, this series refers to time and space.
These forms can also be read as non-referential shapes that insinuates itself in relationship to the narrative and by doing so, becomes an unknown that may become a metaphor for “time” like the geometric shape that travels through time in 2001: A Space Odyssey.
Titles have always been very important to me. It allows the viewer to understand and address the foggy regions of abstract ideas and imaginings which many avoid in their everyday pragmatic lives. Titles like What Tool Must I Use to Separate the Earth from the Sky? from the Cadence of Stupidity series or The Horizon is Sitting Beside You from the Question of Balance series. Here in this series, I return to the figure and the wall but with the help from the Borderland series I can entertain the world of floor sculpture as well.
In this series, I learned from Magritte the way a title can play with ideas of time and place that are not apparent in the reading of the piece. View from the Second Row of the Equator, is such a title. This piece harkens back to my earlier years of New York, where the piece is an easier read and more narrative than not. The piece shows two boys that are brothers where the younger is an anchor to the older. When one sees two people of different ages, time becomes a subject for personal/cultural symbols.
The new element in this series is a big blue shape that formats the work and can be read as blue water, but there in the background is fire, which is a potent mystery. Is it a sign for “things to come” or is it a memory of something in the past? The water is also a reference to the organic shapes of Alexander Calder. As another favorite artist of mine who literally dealt with balance with his invention of the mobile, he also fearlessly made works of nostalgia with his wonderful sculpture/performance piece "Cirque Calder".
Sculpture
Just South Of Normal, 2013
ceramic, plastic, glaze, leather, antler
82 x 57 x 12 in
Just South Of Normal (detail), 2013
Just South Of Normal (detail, the conscience on a lease), 2013
Three Holes, 2016
ceramic, underglaze
9 x 18 x 11 in
Three Holes (detail right side), 2016
The Legend of Humor, 2012
ceramic, epoxy, glaze, bondo, wood
20 x 30 x 15 in
The Code Breakers Next Door, 2018
ceramic, rubber hose, plexiglass, wood, leather, mixed media
52 x 44 x 19 in
The Code Breakers Next Door (detail), 2018
The Code Breakers Next Door (detail), 2018
The Code Breakers Next Door (detail), 2018
The Code Breakers Next Door (detail), 2018
The Skeptic, 2015
ceramic, glaze, blown glass, gold leaf, epoxy, cloth
45 x 24 18 in
A Little Normal, 2014
ceramic, glaze
12 x 14 x 4 in
Event Horizon, 2016
ceramic, gold leaf
17 x 21 x 5 in
View from the Second Row of the Equator, 2017
ceramic, plastic, gold leaf, epoxy
27 x 36 x 16 in
The Space Between the Shadow and the Floor, 2012
ceramic, underglaze, oil paint, plexiglass, leather, wood, hala tree seeds, porcelain, balloon molds, tortoise shell, epoxy
53 x 48 x 16 in
The Space Between the Shadow and the Floor (detail), 2012
The Space Between the Shadow and the Floor (detail), 2012
The Tree will Sway and the Bones will Break, 2019
ceramic, goard, bones, plastic, wood, leather, mixed media
60 x 52 x 12 in
The Tree will Sway and the Bones will Break (detail), 2019
Painting & Drawing
11 Drips and One Stump
One Drip One Hole
One Drip One Hole (detail)
González makes use of the satirist ploy to take the most embarrassing moment or bitter pill more palatable by weaving humor, caricature, obscenity and the grotesque into his art.
—Judith S. Schwartz, Ph.D.
Professor Emeritus in Department of Art and Art Professions at New York University
Critic, curator and author of national and international articles on contemporary craft issues
"Arthur González", Preface. The Art of Rejection, 2021.
So that's The Fence in the Hole.
Tell me about your interest in the series, specific works, or both.
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