02/09/14 - 'Radical Geometry' at the RA

Development of 14 Themes (1951-52) - Tomas Maldonado
What I liked most about this piece were the hidden textures beneath the wash of white paint. Without seeing the painting up close, it's impossible to detect that there are slight ridges similar to that of cracked wooden veneer.

Yesterday I visited 'Radical Geometry' at the RA in order to make use of my Friends card. The exhibition consisted of artwork almost solely on lease from the Patricia Phelps de Cisneros Collection showcasing modern South American art. Whilst the show was, admittedly, disappointingly small, I found myself drawn to almost every piece- something I believe is quite a feat.

I drew a few direct observations of pieces I saw but feel that I was unable to accurately depict the pieces. A large amount of the work was 3D and I found that I was most interested in the sculptural pieces that held a form and a presence in the 4 rooms where everything was made of lines (as the word 'geometry' connotes). Furthermore, as photography was not allowed, it was incredibly hard to think about the exhibition as a whole once I'd left. It was only the sculptural pieces that left a lasting impression on me. 

Helio Oiticica's 'Red Monochrome' (1956) stood out to me as I immediately likened it to Yves Klein's blue monochromes. Coincidentally, another piece paid homage to Klein's work. 'Homage to Yves Klein' (1961) however was not my favourite piece of Jesus Soto's. Instead, it was a small installation of nylon wire suspended and held taut, painted to look as if it held rounded edges of a large cube.

My favourite pieces in the exhibition however came from Gego whose work ranged from wire lattices to line drawings. Her hanging wire pieces had a serenity to it and the calmness was what I was most drawn to. It was a nice play on our conceptions of 'structure' to think about. A structure is usually considered to be a vast object in size or a piece of architecture that can hold itself. It usually connotes grandeur and I liked how I was carefully reminded that structures could be dainty whilst industrial at the same time.

Sphere (1976) - Gego

From this exhibition, I've taken away a few ideas/concepts as well as some visual inspiration for the word 'structure'. The 3D forms that I liked most are examples of both- fragile but powerful at the same time. I'd like to look into and experiment with the idea of 'structure' being simultaneously robust and delicate.