Anyone and No One
Behemoth sculptures from scaled-down materials by Will Ryman
Currently at the Paul Kasmin Gallery, “Anyone and No One” is an exhibition that tests the limits of scale and complexity. The three pieces that compose the show are situated in both of Paul Kasmin’s two Chelsea locations—a first for the gallery—and thoroughly invade the spaces from floor to ceiling. We’re always on the lookout for art borne from the “painstaking process“, and Will Ryman‘s latest works—each made up of hundreds of thousands of smaller objects—mark the ultimate labor of love.
Occupying the 27th Street gallery is “Bird”, a two-ton sculpture of an aviary figure clutching a limp rose in its beak. The 12’x16′ body is made from 1,500 nails that were fabricated for the work. The bending of the nails around the head and eyes is mesmeric, the effect of combining brute materials with delicate interlacing and texture.
The 10th Avenue location opens with the prostrate body of “Everyman”, a giant human figure that stretches 90 feet along the gallery walls. The flesh is created from 30,000 bottle caps and the shirt from the blue soles of 250 boots. In the adjacent space is a labyrinth of stacked paintbrushes, whose curved, organic walls create a walking space for visitors to explore. The 200,000 brushes have been glued together to reach a height of 14 feet.
“Anyone and No One” is Ryman’s first exhibition at the at Paul Kasmin and will be on view through 24 March 2011.
Paul Kasmin Gallery
293 Tenth Avenue
515 West 27th Street
New York, NY 10011
