BE THERE
Grid StackPresented by PaceWildenstein February 2, 2007- March 10, 2007Reception: February 2, 6:00 pm - 8:00 pmCorban Walker
Walker’s exhibition, entitled Grid Stack, consists of three glass and two aluminum and steel sculptures that stand at a maximum height of 44 inches, within the scale of the artist’s own height of 4 feet. In the past, glass has been the material used to best achieve Walker’s architecturally striking works. This exhibition marks his foray into aluminum and steel, also industrial materials. Referred to by Walker as “walls” or “grids”, these five works embrace the concepts of architecture and minimalism, which is apparent in the repetitive, formal structures that dominate his exhibition’s aesthetic. Walker’s sensitivity to each sculpture’s dimensions creates a shift in dialogue between the artwork and the gallery space. Often the gallery’s proportions are thrown off balance or called into question, and the audience’s perceptions of these nuances are very much a part of the work. Viewers are forced to navigate the space differently—often crouching down to get the full effect—and this happens immediately upon entering the exhibition. The largest aluminum and steel piece, entitled Wall 1, 2006, confronts viewers at the gallery’s entrance, acting as a barricade of sorts that must be navigated in order to gain full access to the exhibition. The two smaller glass sculptures, Grid Stack 1 and Grid Stack 2, both 2007, are created from thin strips of stacked glass that Walker alternates between clear float glass with a green hue and Diamante glass that has a grayish-blue hue. Runway, 2007, the largest glass installation measuring 34" high by 51" wide and 34' 6" long, is constructed using only Diamante glass. Formal elements such as scale play a prominent role, but Walker ensures that the theatricality of it all isn’t lost. Corban Walker (b. 1967, Dublin, Ireland) graduated with honors from the National College of Art and Design, Dublin, with a degree in Fine Art Sculpture in 1992. Walker has employed various mediums, at times painting and drawing, creating site-specific installations and using photography or digital art, to convey his ideas. Two years later, Walker’s first solo show was exhibited at the City Arts Centre in Dublin. Since then, he has mounted solo exhibitions in England, France, Chicago, New York and Slovenia and realized six public commissions for important institutions such as the Bank of Scotland Headquarters, Dublin; Mitsubishi Estate Co. Ltd., Tokyo; and the University College, Dublin. His work is part of numerous public and private collections around the world. In 2001 the Arts Council of Ireland awarded him with the prestigious Visual Arts Bursary. He has since received the prize two more times. Corban Walker first exhibited with PaceWildenstein in the fall of 2000, and his work was included in the gallery’s Logical Conclusions exhibition in the spring of 2004 and the summer group show in 2005. The artist immigrated to the United States in 2005, and now splits his time between Dublin and New York, where his studio is located.
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