Artist's rendering of the MCA Plaza
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September 2011
MARK HANDFORTH
Museum of Contemporary Art (MCA) Chicago
until 10 Oct
until 10 Oct
This summer, the Museum of Contemporary Art (MCA) Chicago debuts four enormous, whimsically
surreal new works on the front plaza by artist Mark Handforth on the front plaza, on view until
October 10, 2011. This group of dynamic sculptures by Handforth is part of the MCA’s commitment to
blurring the lines between the inside and outside of the museum; enlivening Chicago with contemporary
art beyond the museum walls. Activating the MCA plaza this summer, Handforth’s sculptures draw from the visual language of the city -- lampposts, traffic cones, police hats -- while introducing surprising icons into the urban landscape, like an oversized coat hanger and a gargantuan bone and phone handset. Handforth prefers working in outdoor public spaces without barriers, transforming the geometry of the MCA’s building with his four playful installations.
LampostSnake takes the material and scale of an urban street lamp and twists it into the form of a coiled snake with the head formed by the lamp. Exuberantly painted with bright colors, it not only contrasts sharply with the MCA façade, but also provides illumination at night.
Another work, Blackbird, takes the form of a giant coat hanger made from brass pipe hand-bent by the
artist. This twisted shape is a metaphor for the sculptural process itself, as the bending and twisting of hanger wire is often the starting point for sculptors experimenting with new forms. Handforth’s penchant for the surreal is displayed in another work, PhoneBone, that pairs a giant bone, similar to an oversized femur, with an equally out of scale bright yellow telephone handset. The handset cradles the bone as if thrown together by a force of nature. The fourth and smallest piece, BeatProp, features a crumpled safety cone topped by an English Bobby hat cast in stainless steel and covered with layer upon layer of colorful paint.
Born in 1969 in Hong Kong, and raised in England, Mark Handforth now lives and works in Miami,
Florida. Handforth has shown outdoor public sculptures in Central Park in New York City; the Dallas Museum of Art; and Zurich, Switzerland and has had solo exhibitions at the Kunsthaus Zurich, Le Consortium in Dijon, the Hammer Museum in Los Angeles, as well as at Gavin Brown’s Enterprise in New York, Modern Institute in Glasgow, Almine Rech in Paris, and Eva Presenhuber in Zurich, among many other locations.
surreal new works on the front plaza by artist Mark Handforth on the front plaza, on view until
October 10, 2011. This group of dynamic sculptures by Handforth is part of the MCA’s commitment to
blurring the lines between the inside and outside of the museum; enlivening Chicago with contemporary
art beyond the museum walls. Activating the MCA plaza this summer, Handforth’s sculptures draw from the visual language of the city -- lampposts, traffic cones, police hats -- while introducing surprising icons into the urban landscape, like an oversized coat hanger and a gargantuan bone and phone handset. Handforth prefers working in outdoor public spaces without barriers, transforming the geometry of the MCA’s building with his four playful installations.
LampostSnake takes the material and scale of an urban street lamp and twists it into the form of a coiled snake with the head formed by the lamp. Exuberantly painted with bright colors, it not only contrasts sharply with the MCA façade, but also provides illumination at night.
Another work, Blackbird, takes the form of a giant coat hanger made from brass pipe hand-bent by the
artist. This twisted shape is a metaphor for the sculptural process itself, as the bending and twisting of hanger wire is often the starting point for sculptors experimenting with new forms. Handforth’s penchant for the surreal is displayed in another work, PhoneBone, that pairs a giant bone, similar to an oversized femur, with an equally out of scale bright yellow telephone handset. The handset cradles the bone as if thrown together by a force of nature. The fourth and smallest piece, BeatProp, features a crumpled safety cone topped by an English Bobby hat cast in stainless steel and covered with layer upon layer of colorful paint.
Born in 1969 in Hong Kong, and raised in England, Mark Handforth now lives and works in Miami,
Florida. Handforth has shown outdoor public sculptures in Central Park in New York City; the Dallas Museum of Art; and Zurich, Switzerland and has had solo exhibitions at the Kunsthaus Zurich, Le Consortium in Dijon, the Hammer Museum in Los Angeles, as well as at Gavin Brown’s Enterprise in New York, Modern Institute in Glasgow, Almine Rech in Paris, and Eva Presenhuber in Zurich, among many other locations.
Installation view of Mark Handforth
MCA Chicago Plaza Project, July 8 - October 10, 2011. Photo: Nathan Keay, © MCA Chicago.
Installation view of Mark Handforth
MCA Chicago Plaza Project, July 8 - October 10, 2011. Photo: Nathan Keay, © MCA Chicago.
Installation view of Mark Handforth
MCA Chicago Plaza Project, July 8 - October 10, 2011. Photo: Nathan Keay, © MCA Chicago.
FONDAZIONE ANTONIO PRESTI -FIUMARA D’ARTE
International Museum of Image
Terzocchio Meridiani di Luce - Sole di Mezzanotte
(ThirdEye Meridian of
Light - Midnight Sun)
Librino,Catania
Deadline: Ongoing
Terzocchio Meridiani di Luce - Sole di Mezzanotte
(ThirdEye Meridian of
Light - Midnight Sun)
Librino,Catania
Deadline: Ongoing
Call to Artist
About Mark Handforth
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