We don't know who these fragment eyebrows belong to. In the few pieces that offer a partner image (a hand of cards, a tuxedo collar, etc.) we don't know the story either. What we do know is that these pieces are bold, strange, and abstract. Most of the work extends from the wall, is irregularly shaped, and employs photography and paint together. We know that Baldessari enjoys giving us limited information (like filling figures or faces with flat colors in a film still). We may assume that these pictures pose a question about identity. They also press the question of their own identity as hybrid art objects. As Baldessari travels deeper into his deceivingly simple art practice it becomes less obvious to glean all of what might be out there, but as promised (tongue in cheek) in 1971, he is decidedly not making boring art.
At Marian Goodman until 10 January.
Posts
