Friday, December 15, 2006
the dimension of line: rosemarie castoro
[detail, outside curve ii, 1976, mixed media, 5" x 14" x 6"]
"the dimension of line"—an exhibition of works by rosemarie
castoro—spans four decades of endeavor. included are two- and
three-dimensional works created from various media. whether rendered in
steel, paper, wire, gesso, marble, dust, graphite, or hair, castoro’s work
deals with concepts of line, volume, and spatial relationship perception.
with work ranging from the early 1970’s, this installation—at tribeca’s hal
bromm gallery—encompasses intimate- to large-format works embodying poetic
engineering, choreographic gestures, and material transformations.
though with radically different media, castoro’s work breathes a conceptual
pathos one finds in that by the late paul thek, who left a niche—both noble
and idiosyncratic—in the art world.
"outside curve ii" [pictured] is among castoro’s captivating works in "the
dimension of line." in it (as with "inside corner" and "tight corner") the
shadow becomes impossible to contain. their irresistible kinesis can be felt
in tentacles of darkness overcome by light. to view the shadow’s tentative
assertions is a delight, and lends castoro’s work a powerful acuity. looming
and kinetic, "triptych" harnesses the energy of visitors to "room
revelation"—a reostatted room she built in the vancouver art gallery for its
"995,000" exhibition in 1970. whimsy outpaces the banal in "hair pieces" an
edition of 10 ink jet prints including "meine heir" (1993) and "hair nebula"
(2004).
palpable with its exoskeletal aura, "cast of thousands" (1973) conveys the
inexorability of its assemblage. stainless steel sculptures of dancers
captured from drawing made during performances, "abt" (1997) and "butoh"
(1997) render the tedium and eventual triumph of choreography’s travail.
from delineated brushstrokes in "dukes" (1972) and the glimpse at electrical
activity in "break in the middle" (1971) to representations from the opera
"don carlos"—"king phillip ii" and "rodrigo/don carlos" (1986)—castoro’s
work wrestles with kinetic issues, indeed the very chemistry of movement.
shown previously at the museum of modern art/new york, dusseldorf’s
stadtische kunsthalle, new york’s ps 1, and mamco/geneva, viewing castoro’s
work is a cognitive experience not to be missed.
through march 31, 2007/ hal bromm/
90 west broadway @ chambers/nyc 10007/
halbromm@gmail.com
http://www.rosemariecastoro.com