Actual Curation

1. Alex Katz, The Swimmer, Aquatint and Drypoint, 1974
2. Edward Foley, Two Lakes, Screenprint on Wood
3. Maya Lin, Dew Point, Glass Orbs set on Gallery Floor
4. Ross Cisneros, Ice and Ark, 2009
Installation with plastic bottles, water, and fishing nets

I begin my curation with The Swimmer by Alex Katz. This piece is hung at a 57" midpoint on the gallery wall so it is right around eye level. This is optimal viewing location, especially because it is 28 1/8 x 36 inches. In my opinion, the Zimmerli curator placed The Swimmer way too high on the wall and mistakenly placed it behind a table of books. The far distance from eye level as well as the table obstacle definitely became an annoyance and detracted attention from the piece and prevented optimal viewing pleasure. This aquatint and drypoint artwork is an intaglio printmaking technique and a variant form of etching. Katz utilized the greyscale and displayed his mastery of tone and value. The subject matter is a swimmer submerged from the neck down in water. Katz gave the subject an androgynous appearance with the prominent nose and thick eyebrows, so the viewer is unsure if the swimmer is male or female. The subject closes his/her eyes and is spitting out water, so one could infer that he/she is possibly struggling to stay afloat or is just tired from swimming. Katz utilizes his legendary modulated style, where he divides highlights, shadows and forms through separated blocks of black, white and gray. This pop-art modulated style is toned down with the lack of color and becomes a great wall companion to Edward Foley's Two Lakes. This sculptural wooden diptych has two indented amorphic images. To the left, there is a yellow shape of a monochromatic photo of a wooded area and a red shape of a monochromatic photo of water. The right piece has a shape of a black and white photo of a wooded area and brown shape of a monochromatic photo of water. This piece is a pop-art infused imaginative, contemporary, and innovative piece that complements the similar style of Alex Katz. Maya Lin's Dew Point is a glass orb floor installation placed in the corner of the gallery walls. The large glass orbs are symbolic of dew drops, but its large size, symmetrical placement and equal sizes make the piece look very intentional and mechanical. It is a sculptural element that draws the viewer's eye to the artworks on the walls. Lastly, Ross Cisneros’ “Ice and Ark” hangs in the middle of the room by the gallery entrance. It is a fishing net draped from the ceiling, weighed down by a multitude of Berg plastic water bottles (which is Canadian brand water). Cisernos explores issues of consumerism and consumption with the empty plastic water bottles (a waste of plastic and money) in a large fishing net (usually used to catch and kill thousands of fish at a time). This fusion of nature and society is an interesting commentary on our everyday lifestyles, where we are called to question what we purchase and consume.