Willard Boepple “Looms” at Lori Bookstein (W57th)

50_185566_untitled-1-copy
Hurley (2008), Poplar, 29″ x 60″ x 21″

If you venture up to West 57th Street, peek in and take a look at sculptor Willard Boepple‘s impressive small show at Lori Bookstein titled “Looms.”

The two red sculptures are particular standouts (including the one above). Restrained and carefully composed, there is an element of cloak and dagger at work as the aluminum and wood sculptures are indistinguishable from one another and beg the question why he chose one material or the other. These are works that require a lot of time, I plan to return to see them again but I sense that they do better in a residential or office setting rather than a sterile gallery space where they seem shy and quiet.

For those intrigued by his work, Boepple has a wonderful series of mirror sculptures that hang in the midtown restaurant Beacon.

The press release describes the “Looms” series this way:

Within a box-like frame which loosely recalls the dimensions of a free-standing loom, rods of varying lengths and proportions abut and intersect like an oversized game of pick-up sticks. Capitalizing on the play of negative spaces, the sculptures delineate space within and around them, and are charged by the internal tension of the transverse rods. The pieces are an exercise in contraction versus expansion, and interior versus exterior—depending on the density of the constructive components, they can take on the aspect of a window, or a screen.

Btw, be sure to check the hours of the gallery since they are closed for Kwanza (well, not exactly FOR Kwanza but the time periods overlap).

Show closes January 3, 2009.

2 responses to “Willard Boepple “Looms” at Lori Bookstein (W57th)”

  1. willard Avatar
    willard

    Happy New Year & thanks for the caught-my-eye piece Hrag which I just came across. I’m not one who likes to solve mysteries in my art–they should be left to live in the mind–but the wood/aluminum thing is simple. I do all my composition work in wood & make them in aluminum for long life and for the option of outdoor installation. the two wood pcs in the show–Burnley & Preston–were finished too close to the show to get them built in alum.

  2. hv Avatar

    Thanks for commenting Willard, it’s always a joy to have the artist himself elaborate and explain his process. Out of curiosity were these based on sketches or are they constructed as one offs?

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