Curator's Corner
"I’m interested in art that thinks of itself as a form of knowledge. I like the idea of art as a way of distributing or producing new knowledge. If this exhibit contributes new insights into the way the world works, it will be a huge success.” —Dieter Roelstraete, Manilow Senior Curator at the Museum of Contemporary Art and curator of Simon Starling: Metamorphology.
phenomenal artist, and his work really speaks to concerns that appeal to me—concerns that make the work very topical, relevant, and urgent. He is a great example of an artist who is interested in historical research, and has also found a way to bring art home, in a way.” Starling is making a new piece for the exhibit that is based on a sculpture at Chicago’s Art Institute, which adds further grounding in The Windy City. “The Henry Moore inspired piece is a really beautiful story,” Roelstraete explains, “quite intricately composed, and it teaches you a lot of things. Art may have global aspirations but it has to make sense locally. That’s the greatest part, getting to see and work with Simon. I learn new things about the way the world works, and that’s an important contribution.” Metamorphology will feature 11 pieces by Starling, and due to their vast size, will span several rooms. On the second floor of the south wing, the exhibit will cover one large room and two smaller rooms. One sculpture will be mounted outside, called "Flaga," Italian for flag. The sculpture is a small Italian sportscar mounted on a wall. The Fiat was an emblem of the Italian automobile industry, however after World War II, Fiat outsourced a lot of its labor to Poland. Starling purchased a red Fiat in Italy and drove it to Southern Poland, where the Polish factory replaced the hood, doors, and other parts with white pieces. Starling then drove the car back to Turan, Italy for an exhibit and mounted the car on a wall, from which angle it bore a striking resemblance to a Polish flag (hence, Flaga). The piece will be mounted at a 90-degree angle on the wall; quite an imposing sight for museum members. It speaks not only to the economic concerns of Starling’s work, but also to his fascination with weight, gravity, balance, and material. Roelstraete draws attention to one more piece in the exhibit, titled "Autoxylopyrocycloboros". The slideshow depicts Starling in a boat powered by a wooden stove, floating on Scottish water. Starling begins 20•CNCJASummer 2014
to break apart the boat, feeding the wood to the stove, showing a process of autodestruction. “It’s a classic image of the artist going down with the rest of the boat; the mythology of the loop. I like it because it’s kind of funny, and there’s a light heartedness to British humor. He treats these heavy handed art works as not only enlightening,