5 Sculptures
Tony Feher, Robert Gober, Felix Gonzalez-Torres, Mike Kelley, Jack Pierson

January 5 – February 9, 2002

D’Amelio Terras is pleased to present 5 Sculptures, the gallery’s fifth historical exhibition. Two years ago, 4 Sculptures featured works from the late 1960s by Carl Andre, John Chamberlain, Dan Flavin and Donald Judd. This January, the focus moves forward to the early nineties, another time of great renewal in American sculpture. In contrast to self-confident 1980s artists, many sculptors during this time used unassuming materials and domestic forms to create works that obliquely engaged political and social issues. The exhibition consists of one sculpture from each artist, with works dated 1989-1993.

Tony Feher’s Le Roi de Bâton (1991) is a first-generation Feher sculpture: an accumulation of jars and other personal found-object elements that are now central to a more restrained artistic vocabulary. It was shown at the New Era Space in a group exhibit curated by Collins & Milazzo.

Robert Gober’s Drain (1989), a pewter cast drain sunk into a wall, can be viewed as a metaphor for the passage into another, unknown world and exemplifies his ability to transcend formal sculptural concepts to create icons. It appeared in his celebrated one-person show at Paula Cooper Gallery that year.

Untitled (USA Today) (1990) by Felix Gonzalez-Torres, an unlimited supply of hard candy with silver, red and blue cellophane wrappers, was first shown at the New Museum of Contemporary Art’s 1990 Rhetorical Image exhibition. It is in the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art, New York, Gift of the Dannheisser Foundation, 1996.

Mike Kelley’s Arena #10 (Dogs) (1990) is a long, knitted afghan that sits on the floor and serves as the ground for a dysfunctional procession of stuffed animal dogs. The sculpture, transgressive in its incorporation of recycled materials and stereotypically feminine medium, was first presented in his 1990 one-person exhibition at Metro Pictures.

Jack Pierson’s word sculptures, created from reconfigured sign letters, tell a tale of isolation and longing. Like Paris in the rain on 2nd Avenue (1993) is part of the artist’s personal collection.