Alain
Kirili
March 11 to April 24, 2004
Essays
- Paul Audi
- Sarah Lewis
- William Jeffett
MEDIA RELEASE
Alain Kirili
March 11 - April 24
opens Thursday, March 11
concert: world premiere of "Kirilics" by Alvin Lucier, April
13
Gallery open Monday through Saturday, 10-6, Sunday 12-4
Admission Free
The artist [left] at work with assistants in Mali, 2003
The New York Studio School is honored to present ten sculptures by Alain Kirili in an overview of his career since he moved to New York in the 1970s.
The art of Alain Kirili [b. Paris, 1946] always entails
a balance of the ecstatic and the iconic. While an underlying creative
tension between spontaneous process and primordial expression has been
constant in Kirili's work since the 1970s, even within the group presented
here, a remarkable range of moods and interests comes across.
The earliest work of this more than quarter century survey is "Indian Curve," 1976. Kirili had staged his first solo exhibition at the Sonnabend Gallery, Paris, in 1972. This piece, one of his first made in New York, was an early instance where Kirili combined terracotta and steel in a dynamic relationship. An elaboration of the same idea, entitled "Curve Number Three", 1977-68, entered the collection of the Museum of Modern Art in 1978.
"Commandment II," lent by the
Jewish Museum, will form a centerpiece of the display. It explores Kirili's
fascination with the element of handwriting in smithery. The work arose
from Kirili's direct observation of a Torah scribe at work, and also grew
out of his personal study of ancient Jewish art.
"Summation," 1981, in forged iron,
reflects Kirili's strong allegiances within the modern movement in sculpture,
in both the American and European traditions, and with ancient and non-western,
tribal art.
A group of three works in plaster, including "Ivresse,"
1988, reflects the increasing sense of spontaneity and speed in his work,
and his deep affinity with jazz and other forms of experimental music.
Kirili's extensive collaborations with musicians, poets and and dancers
has become a key aspect of his work.
More recent works in forged iron, such as "Plastiras,"
2003, made in a traditional smithery in Virginia, and "Segou,"
(2003), made in Mali with Bambara blacksmits, develops the totemic theme
in Kirili's work, tying together his interests in direct expression, improvisation,
and a sense of the sacral and the primordial.
CONCERT: "KIRILICS"
Collaboration with musicians, as well as practioners of other artforms,
has long been a crucial feature of Alain Kirili's creativity. The New
York Studio School is especially proud to present the world premiere of
an important new work by the internationally renowned composer Alvin Lucier
directly inspired by Kirili's sculpture, "Kirilics," (2003),
to be performed by baritone Thomas Buckner and horn player Jill Van Nostrand.
The concert, which takes place at the School on April 13, will also feature Lucier's "Opera with Objects" (1997), to be performed by the composer; Morton Feldman's "Two Instruments" (1962), performed by Ms. Nostrand and cellist Ludmila Konstantanova; and solo improvisations, performed in direct response to a work of Kirili, by Mr. Buckner and by the legendary jazz violinist Leroy Jenkins.
WEBSITE
The exhibition is accompanied by a website presenting three important
new texts about the artist. Sarah Lewis ties together
the artist's connections with Africa, where he has recently been working
for extended periods, and with African-American culture. William
Jeffett will explore Kirili's relationship to twentieth century and
contemporary sculpture with a special consideration of his involvement
with jazz. Philosopher Paul Audi ruminates the
role of titles in the artist's work.
The exhibition has been curated by David Cohen, gallery director at the New York Studio School.
photography by Christian Carone unless otherwise indicated