Home Exhibition Virtual TourBetye Saar "Untitled"

Betye Saar "Untitled"

Transcription of podcast:

While most of the works presented in the exhibition are print based items,“Untitled” by artist Betye Saar showcases the integrative aspects of Betye Saar’s practice and the interaction between printmaking and other media. Found objects and layers of materiality and narratives are omnipresent.

Within a small, black, framed, shadow box we see a levitating heavy pour of multiple acrylic paints. That first read is an illusion. As almost ripped from a previous surface, the painted handmade colored paper, composted by running lines and stretches of shiny and glittery black, blue, raspberry, terra orange and green, lives in the center of the piece, evoking an abstract flow. Figurative elements such as drawn light blue fish swimming toward a miniature yellow fan, opened wide, or an embroidered flower are placed on top as “added objects”. While the flow seems to be important in this work, it is also telling of the consciousness of the surface- flat and deep at the same time, textured but smooth. The visitor can question the medium and the techniques of printmaking - collages, assemblages of colors, structure.

This work is part of artist Kevin Cole’s private collection: Cole is himself an artist represented in the Driskell permanent collection, and his affiliation with Saar goes beyond the piece only. Cole acquired it in 2000 and when both artists' paths crossed again, the work prompted a long conversation on the topic of perseverance.