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| Nuked Buddha (2011) by Matt Johnson |
Blum & Poe are exhibiting six sculptures by Matt Johnson in a solo show. Known for his humor and quirky choice of materials, Johnson's work in this show feels a bit more subdued and introspective. Certainly, there is a light-heartedness that underlies the sculptures and the materials are as diverse as expected, but I feel that this is the most contemplative and profound display of Johnson's work that I've seen. There is a paradoxical sense of complex simplicity and expressive quiet to this show.
The easiest work to examine is the Nuked Buddha. It is a bronze statue, nine feet tall, which presents a warped and ruined surface to a traditional pose of serenity and transcendence. How does one view this image? Is it the triumph of the instant, in which a moment of violence defaces the beauty of human achievement? Or is it the exaltation of the enduring, wherein the serenity persists beyond the inessential results of the transient present?
This juxtaposition of the eternal and the ephemeral is also displayed in Touch the Void. Upon a granite boulder, Johnson has carved his handprint. It is not an obvious mark, but well integrated into the blended color and rugged surface of the rock. But despite the artful matching, the hand represents the fleeting presence of human life, which contrasts with the geologic ages of the stone. Yet, by carving his presence into the granite, this mark of mortality has gained lasting durability. Like early aniconic depictions of the Buddha as footprints, the handprint becomes a signifier of transcendence.
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| Detail of Touch the Void (2011) by Matt Johnson |
But the reverse message is delivered in Pyramid of Dust, in which Johnson has created a four-sided pyramid of collected dust. This form is geometrically stable and associated with human structures noted for endurance. But it is crafted out of dust. It could crumble into a shapeless pile with a single jarring shake!
