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DAILY NEWS, VIEWS, REVIEWS, INTERVIEWS
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Alex Burdiak, 'Grasp', 2006
Steel, Latex, 200 x 125 x 125cm
Alex Burdiak, 'Taut', 2006
Steel, Latex, 125 x 35 x 300cm
Alex Burdiak, 'Expand', 2006
Steel, Latex, 140 x 140 x 160cm
Alex Burdiak's recurring integration of steel and latex in one piece is the first thing that stands out about his work. With each material carrying a long lineage of social, cultural and art historical significance, Burdiak seems to be playing with expectations established by his predecessors, including Eva Hesse and Richard Serra.
In 'Grasp' (2006), Burdiak employs a large, curving, steel arc. However, while Serra's famous imposing arcs are structures that imply their own strength and immovability, Burdiak's arcs are vulnerable, suggesting tension and movement. Large steel structures are strapped together with latex, giving the impression that either the steel or the latex will snap at any moment. In 'Taut' (2006), a band of latex is stretched over a steel plate and in 'Expand' (2006), a latex ball looks set to explode out of the steel plates that incase it.
Everywhere in Burdiak's work there is the suggestion of movement, of materials bending, stretching and finally, giving way. Burdiak is interested in the inherent properties of materials, the reaction between substances and the effects of gravity on form. He looks at the processes that take place after the piece is completed, the processes that continually determine the form of the piece. His works are conceived first as maquettes, as he begins a process of research and experimentation to begin to understand how his materials will react with one another. From there, he creates large-scale structures that are the records and realisations of these experiments.
To view his profile page on Saatchi Online click here
Charlotte Bonham-Carter
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Charlotte Bonham-Carter is an author, art critic and a curator. Formerly assistant curator at Barbican Art Gallery, she is now assistant curator at the Institute of Contemporary Arts, London. She is a regular contributor to Flash Art and recently co-authored (with David Hodge) 'The Contemporary Art Book' (Carlton, 2009). |
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| Published on 26-10-2009 |
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