Wave Totem

Comment

Comment by Resident Curator on February 5, 2016 at 9:11am

Curator’s Comments:  

 

Revisiting these sculptural works, I see an interesting aesthetic shift between the works that celebrate the natural organic contours of wood and bone, and the painted pieces which allude to various animals among Hokasai’s Great Wave. Wave Totem successfully balances these two approaches, without the inclusion of a utilitarian reference to a vessel or table.  I like the slightly twisted angularity of the central totem form.  It suggests an arm or current, as the painted wave augments the upward thrust.  Yet the tall form could also be interpreted as a spear, piercing the animal through.  The painted fish relates to the painting below, with an expanse of natural wood between them.   This visual rhythm is quite engaging, and offers the viewer interesting contrasting surfaces within the water & fish motif.