Metalworking always interests me since it seems so redemptive to take a medium that is so mundane and utilitarian and create something intricate and beautiful. I had to go check this piece out for that reason and because it is at Boardwalk Condos (where I almost bought a condo a few years back!).
The artist, Kevin Barrett, was born in Ann Arbor and now resides in Manhattan. He gained his knowledge and skill from his father, Bill Barrett, a well known sculptor.
All in all, an astonishing piece. The welding of these massive pieces of aluminum is absolutely seamless and the whole piece is so smooth. So much fluidity and movement in a piece of metal!
Here is the description of the work and work statement from the ArtPrize website:
Description of work: Aluminum sheeting formed and fabricated with welding done where two planes meet. The welds are then burnished and smoothed with all visible surfaces given a finished sheen. The work rests on a horizontal bracket that is anchored to the wall surface behind. (Two men can lift the work onto the bracket).
Work statement: “Transit” was created and fabricated in my Brooklyn studio.
I didn’t know there were pieces up in Boardwalk already, sweet! Hard to tell from the pics but the ArtPrize site says 6 feet wide… that seems big. It almost looks as if it were cut from one massive chunk of aluminum. Gonna have to go check it out.
What a great location for a beautiful industrial piece of art- Boardwalk, which is a beautiful industrial piece of art!