Untitled

Baris Karayazgan
Untitled
Marble, plastic wrap
2003 – 2007

Much of sculptor Baris Karayazgan’s work involves traditional marble carving techniques, in which stone is removed to reveal a desired shape. For these three ethereal, hovering forms, however, the artist carefully salvaged discarded chips to build new and surprising configurations.

Karayazgan used plastic cling film to bind small pieces of marble into the curious, organic, tentacle-like structures you see here. This unconventional pairing of materials enabled the artist to quickly manipulate forms and change direction with intuitive spontaneity.

Marble has historically been used to express what is splendid, precious and pristine, its luminous surface granting elegance and grace to whatever subject inhabits it. Plastic wrap, on the other hand, is revered mainly for its sandwich-wrapping and casserole-covering capabilities, its glossy, surface signaling freshness. In this installation’s improbable meeting, the plastic enables the marble to take on shape and surface qualities that it could otherwise not achieve, while the nearly four hundred pounds of marble in each sculpture redefine plastic’s reputation for flimsy transparency.

Created on and especially for this site, Karayazgan’s sculpture is a response to the architecture and light of the space around it, as well as to his impulse to reinvent and recycle these seemingly opposing materials.