Every single time I visit the Guggenheim, there is something great, and it was no exception for Carol Bove. The exhibition occupies the rotunda beautifully, showing a great amount of Bove’s pieces, from early conceptual work and drawings to some more recent monumental sculptures.
Bove’s sculptures appear with heavy material like stainless steel or scrap metal, yet they feel flexible and soft in their gestures, like they’re enjoying the crowd and dancing as an inflatable tube man in front of a restaurant. I find that to be satisfying to look at and experience the art, where there was an indescribable tension from the industrial material and unexpected delicacy.
A few of my favorite pieces were these metal “drawings”, featured with some really interesting colors. The colored shapes appear almost like glowing inserts or cutouts with the anodized background, giving me a strict but playful feeling at the same time.
The exhibition also reveals the evolution of Bove’s practice, which I later did a little bit of research on. Bove’s earlier work, incorporating bookshelves, found objects, or printed materials, emphasizes cultural references and intellectual associations, while the later large sculpture moves toward a more physical engagement with space and perception. Seeing her practice gradually shifting from more conceptual assemblage to something that’s kind of gestural abstraction in three dimensions is also quite interesting.
-iAN CHEN
Carol Bove's show at the Guggenheim successfully utilized the rotunda. I agree with Ian that since Guggenheim had such an interesting space, with Carol Bove's metal “drawings” featured with interesting color, it created a beautiful view while walking through the rotunda. The exhibition also shows a wide range of her works, from geometric paintings to sculptural pieces with the same amount of energy coming from the colors. The larger pieces that acquired the space on the first floor creates depth, and since the sculptures are so tall, the viewer perceives the space wider than its original size. Similar to Ian's understanding, it's really interesting seeing her work from more literary sculpture to gestural geometric painting.
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