image of a single, leafless tree rendered in faded transparent black ink; many thin delicate branches extend outward; simple, white background; certificate of authenticiy in a plastic sleeve on bottom center on back of frame

%C2%A9 Roxy Paine

Study No. 1 for “New Amalgam”, 2016

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Black ink on paperexpand_more

The Richard Lewis Hillstrom Fundexpand_more  2018.79.1

Not on Viewexpand_more

Roxy Paine’s interdisciplinary artistic practice explores the intersection of nature and technology, posing existential questions about the growing conflict between natural and manmade environments. This ink drawing is a study for a stainless-steel sculpture, New Amalgam (2017), part of his long-running Dendroid series of artificially engineered treelike forms that mirror nature but retain their industrial artifice. At first, the drawing appears to depict a simple leafless tree, but as its title suggests, the “tree” is actually an amalgam of various dissimilar branches, each having distinct physical characteristics and growth habits. Though it displays a certain sublime beauty, this fictive tree illustrates the contradiction between natural and artificial structures, revealing the artist’s ambivalent feelings about tampering with nature.

Details
Title
Study No. 1 for “New Amalgam”
Artist Life
born 1966
Role
Artist
Accession Number
2018.79.1
Provenance
The artist, New York; (Paul Kasmin Gallery, New York); (Weinstein Hammons Gallery, Minneapolis); sold to MIA, 2018
Curator Approved

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image of a single, leafless tree rendered in faded transparent black ink; many thin delicate branches extend outward; simple, white background; certificate of authenticiy in a plastic sleeve on bottom center on back of frame

© Roxy Paine

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