International Competitions in Architecture
A HOUSE FOR JASON DeCAIRES TAYLOR
It was said that Edward Munch sometimes left his canvases outdoors, to be “touched” by the elements… curious “lack of care” for a painter whose paintings commanded then, as they do now, impressive attention (and prices).
But when a sculptor “drowns” his sculptures underwater, the questioning becomes even more intense.
Why…?????????
Why would a sculptor remove his work from the sight of his co-humans, and prefers instead to “bury” it at the bottom of the ocean…???????????
On one hand, perhaps, it is a desire to create that “island of unavailability” most of us would want, sometimes, to still be “available.”
On the other, perhaps, it is a desire to unite with the elements, as opposed to ignoring them, or worse, dwarf them.
Whatever his reasons, the sculptor’s work IS impressive.
Maybe everything, under water, is impressive.
Diluted by water, the forms become less aggressive, dream-like.
Wasn’t / isn’t art supposed to be so, in general…???????????
There is something magical about the underwater world.
We think this artist is the very opposite of Damien Hirst, at all levels.
While Hirst provokes us with dead animal bodies immersed in a viciously preserving liquid, Jason Taylor reaches towards true freedom through having the courage to immerse his work in the “damaging” liquidity of the ocean.
Jason Taylor says No to the museum, to the art collectors, to money and to Sotheby’s. It says Yes to the Ocean, to WATER.
Imagine on one side the collectivity of real (sculpted) people, individualized, yet together, surrounded by water and fish, and on the other the stridently open-mouthed shark of Damien Hirst, encapsulated in a slick tank, inside a museum room.
These are two radically different artists with two radically different world views.
Design a House for Jason deCaires Taylor. It can be under the water, or above. Water can be “real” or metaphorical. What is important is the “mental landscape.” Jason points towards an art that transcends the exasperated individualism of the present, it points towards a different conception of time and space, and even towards a different conception about the “role” of man in the larger “scheme of things.” His, is a different cosmology.
Please send us ANY work, ANY size and ANY format to projects@icarch.us. We will publish all the works received on our new website, www.icarch.us. The deadline to submit your work is January 15th, 2011. There is no registration fee. If you have any questions please contact us.
Thank you,
ICARCH Gallery
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