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The day to day accumulation of hope, failure and ecstasy - The zenith of
your career (The Last Degas)
The day to day accumulation of hope, failure and ecstasy - The zenith of
your career (The Last Degas)
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The day to day accumulation of hope, failure and ecstasy – An institutional
maze (Steptrapode)
The day to day accumulation of hope, failure and ecstasy – An institutional
maze (Steptrapode)
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The day to day accumulation of hope, failure and ecstasy – A bright spark in
a dim world (Panopticon Art School and Museum)
The day to day accumulation of hope, failure and ecstasy – A bright spark in
a dim world (Panopticon Art School and Museum)
RYAN GANDER
The day to day accumulation of hope, failure and ecstasy , 2017
Rendered in cast bronze and taking the form of large-scale key chains of a ballet dancer, a model of a school, and an architectural tetrapod, the sculptures are suspended improbably from the trees of Laguna Gloria. Gander, a consummate storyteller but intentionally unreliable narrator, describes his use of the key chain as a simple “vessel for communicating something of greater value, a signifier for the story.”
Part of an ongoing series of works, the key chain shapes are based on those employed in performances by Earnest Hawker, a persona of Gander’s future self. These sentimental objects suggest narratives, snippets of which come from the artist’s history and biography, while the viewer projects his or her own meanings, sparked by the works’ incongruous scale and placement. Chronologies and realities conflate, spinning with possibilities: How did these get here? Are they larger, or am I smaller? This playful interrogation of the viewer forms the nexus of Gander’s work.
Part of an ongoing series of works, the key chain shapes are based on those employed in performances by Earnest Hawker, a persona of Gander’s future self. These sentimental objects suggest narratives, snippets of which come from the artist’s history and biography, while the viewer projects his or her own meanings, sparked by the works’ incongruous scale and placement. Chronologies and realities conflate, spinning with possibilities: How did these get here? Are they larger, or am I smaller? This playful interrogation of the viewer forms the nexus of Gander’s work.
Installed at Laguna Gloria, The Contemporary Austin, Texas, USA.
Courtesy of the artist. © Ryan Gander.