Sterling Ruby: ECLPSE
Xavier Hufkens is pleased to announce two exhibitions of new work by Sterling Ruby. Running concurrently in the two gallery spaces, ECLPSE (6 rue St-Georges) features the artist鈥檚 collages, while a series of recent sculptures are presented in SCALES (107 rue St-Georges).
Sterling Ruby is known for the multifaceted nature of his practice, which encompasses painting, ceramics, collage, video and photography, textiles, sculpture and installations. Working in a wide range of media, from the traditional to the unconventional, Ruby has created an oeuvre that, while remarkably diverse, is firmly rooted within a complex and coherent artistic strategy.
Often drawing upon autobiographical, art historical or sociological sources, Ruby鈥檚 work is frequently referred to as 鈥榩ost-humanist鈥� 鈥� a term that broadly describes a society which, thanks in part to technological advancement, has evolved beyond fixed categories of being (e.g. time/place), or predetermining classifications (e.g. animal/human). The seemingly 鈥榠ncomprehensible鈥� visual range of Ruby鈥檚 practice thus embodies a schizophrenic, 鈥榩ost-everything鈥� state of perpetual fragmentation and synthesis. A world in which, according to Ruby, 鈥榯here is just too much information for anything to be coherent or whole.鈥� His practice involves a combination of philosophical enquiry and material investigation, the latter involving the seemingly endless repurposing, combining and recombining of different techniques and media. This too mirrors a shifting condition of constant deconstruction and reconfiguration, and the idea of a non-hierarchical, boundary-less universe.
For this exhibition, Ruby has created a new series of collages entitled ECLPSE (the artist鈥檚 abbreviation for the word 鈥榚clipse鈥�). Made from cardboard salvaged from the floor coverings in the artist鈥檚 studio, the collages reflect a newfound sense of simplicity and formality. The abstract shapes, which are reminiscent of suns, moons and overlapping landscapes, are painted in bright, primary colours. Ruby has said of these compositions: 鈥楾hey continue with themes, theories and concepts that have been central to my previous work, but I have been trying to make them abstract and formal, my attempt to connect to the historical lineage of Suprematism.鈥� The contrast between the reclaimed 鈥榓rtistic鈥� waste and the richness of the paint highlights a dynamic tension between Ruby鈥檚 contemporary practice and the early-modern belief in the supremacy of 鈥榩ure artistic feeling鈥� over the visual depiction of objects.
Ruby will also be exhibiting a new group of mobiles in the series known as SCALES. These monumental sculptures, which the artist views as three-dimensional manifestations of his collages, feature identical monochrome shapes to those evident in the ECLPSE series, but this time juxtaposed with identifiable scraps of materials and objects from his studio. These elements lend the works a more narrative aspect. Whilst Ruby is well known for his collages, and has also constructed mobiles in the past, the works presented in ECLPSE and SCALES bear witness to a shift in perspective. Says Ruby: 鈥楾hese works are pared down to their basic formal elements. In the past I鈥檝e insisted on seeing the conceptual element, as opposed to feeling confident that it is there even when it is not evident at first glance. They are also playful, in a way, which feels new to me.鈥�
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Xavier Hufkens is pleased to announce two exhibitions of new work by Sterling Ruby. Running concurrently in the two gallery spaces, ECLPSE (6 rue St-Georges) features the artist鈥檚 collages, while a series of recent sculptures are presented in SCALES (107 rue St-Georges).
Sterling Ruby is known for the multifaceted nature of his practice, which encompasses painting, ceramics, collage, video and photography, textiles, sculpture and installations. Working in a wide range of media, from the traditional to the unconventional, Ruby has created an oeuvre that, while remarkably diverse, is firmly rooted within a complex and coherent artistic strategy.
Often drawing upon autobiographical, art historical or sociological sources, Ruby鈥檚 work is frequently referred to as 鈥榩ost-humanist鈥� 鈥� a term that broadly describes a society which, thanks in part to technological advancement, has evolved beyond fixed categories of being (e.g. time/place), or predetermining classifications (e.g. animal/human). The seemingly 鈥榠ncomprehensible鈥� visual range of Ruby鈥檚 practice thus embodies a schizophrenic, 鈥榩ost-everything鈥� state of perpetual fragmentation and synthesis. A world in which, according to Ruby, 鈥榯here is just too much information for anything to be coherent or whole.鈥� His practice involves a combination of philosophical enquiry and material investigation, the latter involving the seemingly endless repurposing, combining and recombining of different techniques and media. This too mirrors a shifting condition of constant deconstruction and reconfiguration, and the idea of a non-hierarchical, boundary-less universe.
For this exhibition, Ruby has created a new series of collages entitled ECLPSE (the artist鈥檚 abbreviation for the word 鈥榚clipse鈥�). Made from cardboard salvaged from the floor coverings in the artist鈥檚 studio, the collages reflect a newfound sense of simplicity and formality. The abstract shapes, which are reminiscent of suns, moons and overlapping landscapes, are painted in bright, primary colours. Ruby has said of these compositions: 鈥楾hey continue with themes, theories and concepts that have been central to my previous work, but I have been trying to make them abstract and formal, my attempt to connect to the historical lineage of Suprematism.鈥� The contrast between the reclaimed 鈥榓rtistic鈥� waste and the richness of the paint highlights a dynamic tension between Ruby鈥檚 contemporary practice and the early-modern belief in the supremacy of 鈥榩ure artistic feeling鈥� over the visual depiction of objects.
Ruby will also be exhibiting a new group of mobiles in the series known as SCALES. These monumental sculptures, which the artist views as three-dimensional manifestations of his collages, feature identical monochrome shapes to those evident in the ECLPSE series, but this time juxtaposed with identifiable scraps of materials and objects from his studio. These elements lend the works a more narrative aspect. Whilst Ruby is well known for his collages, and has also constructed mobiles in the past, the works presented in ECLPSE and SCALES bear witness to a shift in perspective. Says Ruby: 鈥楾hese works are pared down to their basic formal elements. In the past I鈥檝e insisted on seeing the conceptual element, as opposed to feeling confident that it is there even when it is not evident at first glance. They are also playful, in a way, which feels new to me.鈥�
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