I have recently seen the work of Sherrie Levine. The exhibition consisted of twelve pink, glass skulls in display cases and twelve bronze mirrors. The work was highly crafted. It seems that she forms her objects to make them look like ready-mades or found objects. There is an intriguing irony in this. They are crafted, functional objects which are recognised as art.
Levine’s originality derives from the recognition and reproduction of the aesthetic properties of a seemingly ordinary object through appropriation and re-presentation. This is especially relevant to my own work at the moment given that I am inspired by utilitarian objects that I have studied and have ‘re-presented’ in a form closely resembling the original.
The repetition of Levine’s mirrors and skulls, together with their excellent crafting, questions why an artwork should be reproduced to the point of becoming a commodity. We are surrounded by thousands of utilitarian objects on which we depend. We often pay little regard to their form or their craft. We just use them. Levine asks us to re-evaluate their status.
My next projects will use contrasting materials with cast concrete. Currently, two objects interest me. One is a leather-handled ball used in the game of pato and the other is a classically shaped lota or purification vessel.
