Erick Swenson
01 Apr - 01 May 2010
ERICK SWENSON
"A Selection of Works"
April 1 - May 1, 2010
James Cohan Gallery is proud to present our third solo show by American artist Erick Swenson. The centrepiece of the show will be a new sculpture depicting a decaying deer carcass that reveals an underlying scrimshaw tattoo on the entirety of the animal's skeleton. With striking verisimilitude, Swenson's sculptures embody a complex emotional terrain. Inspired by the artist's childhood passion for taxidermied animals exhibited at the natural history museum, Swenson's sculptures are embedded with themes of vulnerability, loneliness and isolation. By giving little context for his perplexing dioramas, Swenson sets the scene for the viewer to ponder the mysterious events leading up to his creature's fate. As curator Lynn Herbert explains, "Swenson leaves the story in our hands... and we come to see and understand the human condition, as in many a child's fable, through the eyes of the animal." Other pieces included in the exhibition are Untitled [Velvet Horn], 2009 and Untitled [Carpet Piece], 2001, among others.
"A Selection of Works"
April 1 - May 1, 2010
James Cohan Gallery is proud to present our third solo show by American artist Erick Swenson. The centrepiece of the show will be a new sculpture depicting a decaying deer carcass that reveals an underlying scrimshaw tattoo on the entirety of the animal's skeleton. With striking verisimilitude, Swenson's sculptures embody a complex emotional terrain. Inspired by the artist's childhood passion for taxidermied animals exhibited at the natural history museum, Swenson's sculptures are embedded with themes of vulnerability, loneliness and isolation. By giving little context for his perplexing dioramas, Swenson sets the scene for the viewer to ponder the mysterious events leading up to his creature's fate. As curator Lynn Herbert explains, "Swenson leaves the story in our hands... and we come to see and understand the human condition, as in many a child's fable, through the eyes of the animal." Other pieces included in the exhibition are Untitled [Velvet Horn], 2009 and Untitled [Carpet Piece], 2001, among others.