Isa Genzken, Untitled, 2004. Aluminum, adhesive tape and collage. 95 x 47 in. © Isa Genzken.
For our #CollectionPick series, we ask members of our community to reflect on specific artworks in Ruby City’s permanent collection and share why these works speak to them. This week, we spoke with our artist Arturo Herrera.
Select a work from the Ruby City Collection:
The work I selected is by Isa Genzken, Untitled, 2004.
How would you describe it in 3 words?
Rich, perplexing, generous.
Why does this work stand out to you?
The vertical format and polished metal surface recall a mirror, a door, a window. The work pulls the viewer with its scale and colors into a luminous macrocosm.
This large collage on aluminum juxtaposes printed tapes, decorative reflective adhesives and torn reproductions from old masters paintings. The clashing combination of fragments and materials activates our desire for meaning and resolution. Fortunately, the work keeps the viewer suspended in an open-ended abstract field resonant with multiple open references.
What other artists does this piece remind you of? Why?
Isa Genzken is known for her use of unorthodox materials. There is a singular detachment and preciseness when she constructs her pieces that make them unique. Richard Tuttle is a kindred spiri