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E N V I R O N M E N T S
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EXTENDING THE ARTIST'S REALM
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Noah Purifoy, Surrealistic Piece, 1991
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THE
CALIFORNIA
AFRO-AMERICAN
MUSEUM |
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1994
TO
1995 |
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LOS ANGELES
CALIFORNIA |
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when one considers the work
of Noah Purifoy, who conceived and constructed works at their intended
site, the desert of Joshua Tree, California. Most of the environments in
this show were constructed to be shown in museum gallery spaces and have
already appeared in other exhibitions inside and outside of California.
The shelters of Purifoy, however, were created for the desert and were
never intended to be moved into a museum space; this exhibition is the
first to do so. Photomurals of other works from the desert site were installed
in the exhibition to show the context in which they were created. The selected
works had to be pieces whose concept and meaning could transfer into a
gallery space, and in which the artist would feel comfortable with the
transfer. Purifoy has two works in this exhibition. Untitled, 1991,
is constructed of strips of wood painted black. It is a tapered structure
that ascends to form a plateau at its top. It has a narrow door in one
end to allow entry. The inside walls are unfinished, exposing the two-by-four
construction of the pieces as light filters through the small cracks. Inside,
there is a sense of being captured and hidden in a small burrow or in a
place where refuge is sought from the elements. In the desert, the black
wooden shape seemed to reach and grow out from the earth. In the Museum,
it has likewise been installed in sand and becomes a quiet sculptural object.
One of the photomurals near this work shows Environment #l. This
piece has monument-like proportions. The structure is painted white with
accent walls of pastel colors. A row of three or four toilet stalls with
seats line one area, again recalling the use of ready-mades. About 12 white
two-by-four polls topped with gold balls ascend skyward like turrets. A
tower of weathered lathe occupies a central position with a crown-like
cap. |