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Upon entering the gallery one is likely to first encounter Monster; Benjamin’s human scale assemblage of found object, and recycled cardboard. Monster presents the viewer with an expansive web of cardboard strips that intimate the underlying structure of modern high-rise construction. These cardboard “I-beams” sprout from the stripped-down carcass of a former weight bench and expand perilously as they rise to a height just above that of the onlooker. The effect is immediate, but Monster is not without its drawbacks.
The appreciation of the formal elegance of Monster (and several other pieces) is often cut short by the constant reaffirmation of its source material: a weight bench, beer boxes, and glue. If, instead of leaving these elements in a naked state, they had been treated uniformly (unity of color perhaps?), the viewer would be free to apprehend the significance of the accomplishment and contemplate the ironic, visual paronomasia of a tense, visually heavy (but physically light) object placed precariously on a weight bench. Instead of the potential freedom of aesthetic experience, the viewer is dragged down by the constant reminder of what these objects are, and attempts to penetrate deeper into the work are met with unnecessary roadblocks.
The high point of the exhibition is undoubtedly the modestly scaled #2 Series. Carved from pieces of walnut to resemble stylized feces, these works exhibit a rare sensitivity to material. Benjamin shapes these pieces of wood such that we are invited to appreciate the natural beauty of substance concurrently with the hand of artist. The elegant, architectural forms that emerge from And Then, and Signal in particular, create a graceful interplay of contrasts. These seemingly fragile, rectilinear structures pleasantly diverge from their solid, sordid, earthbound bases. In terms of presentation however, the elegance and integrity of the #2 Series is compromised by the realization that in place of a pedestal, the pieces are presented on a sheet of plywood, on a foosball table!As a whole, 'Unemployed Title' presents a sense of heightened expectation that is satiated despite the problems mentioned above. On view for the next month on Saturdays from 12-4, or by appointment, this show is capable of rewarding visual investment, and should not be overlooked.
- Alan Pocaro
Keith Benjamin, 'Unemployed Title' at U·turn Art Space, 2159 Central Avenue, Cincinnati, OH.
Regular gallery hours Saturdays 12:00-4:00 PM. For more information, or to make an appointment, please contact the gallery by e-mail: u.turn.artspace@gmail.com. Through March 27th, 2010.
Photos: Installation view of Monster; below, installation view of an overall shot of the #2 series on the table except for #2 #5 (Signal). Photos courtesy of the U·turn Art Space Collective.
[full disclosure: both Keith Benjamin and Alan Pocaro teach at the Art Academy of Cincinnati.]
