Jessica Stockholder, Peer Out to See: Museo Nacional Centro De Arte Reina Sofía | Madrid, Spain
Jessica Stockholder (Seattle, United States, 1959) is one of the most influential sculptors of her generation. Her work spans over three decades and is characterised by a commitment to colour and materials. The interpretation of objects has become the distinguishing feature of Stockholder’s creations, as she participates both in the spheres of conceptualisation and construction, through associations between the recognisable and the abstract.
Stockholder’s interest focuses on the assembly of objects with different natures and origins. Her work is an investigation into the heterogeneous through an additive process, an overlay of materials, which combines real-world objects with objects created by her without causing chaos, her control of space and everything it contains means she is able to create an order between what at first seems chaotic and disjointed.
With Atisbar para ver, the Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía exhibits a piece created by Stockholder for the luminous Palacio de Cristal at the Parque del Retiro in Madrid, where the accumulation of everyday objects that once seemed familiar and common take on a new life. The use of light and bright colours brings a playful touch to her composition. The artist places an artificial pond, and a sort of pier or boarding plank in front of a column of plastic objects that refer to Schwitters and Dadá. The bright colours of the base move to white and then transparent in a composition that approaches the ceiling and with this she manages to conquer the central space within a relaxed, static and transcendent atmosphere. With her work, Stockholder establishes a dialogue not only with the architecture of the architectural space it is in, but also with the surrounding park, joining the interior and exterior, garden and lake, with the greenhouse atmosphere. Stockholder creates an exercise where she paints through three-dimensional objects and uses colour as the binding agent in the sculpture, creating a chromatic and formal agreement. The unique sense of colour is primarily responsible for the undeniable pleasure her compositions radiate. This chromatic symphony attracts and persuades the public that contemplates and moves around it, a public that is an essential part of the installation upon becoming active participants.
Curatorial Text Courtesy — Museo Nacional Centro De Arte Reina Sofía
