Michael Genovese’s sculptural interventions are the kind of thing that give structural surveyors nightmares and has builders rubbing their hands in glee at the repair costs, but the Paris London Hong Kong gallery in Chicago gallery isn’t about to collapse. The illusory cracking effect of the Joliet series is achieved with plasma-cut steel wall reliefs, which will be a real relief to anyone walking underneath.
Named after the city in Illinois which was, until recently, home to a well-known prison, Genovese’s work looks at confinement, physical perimeters and cultural boundaries. Joliet‘s former spelling Juliet brings to mind Shakespeare’s tragic lover, quite at odds with the modern connotations the present name Joliet brings to mind. A Chicago native now living and working in Los Angeles, Genovese “employs a reduced material vocabulary” to aid the clarity of thinking and promote a contemplative mindset. So now you know. Unfortunately the exhibition finishes today, 18 October, but you might be as well viewing Joliet from the safety of your own home with us.
T-rex (Faux Marbleization)
Nickel plated mirror polished steel
144″ x 1/4″
Michael Genovese
Joliet
Installation shot
Michael Genovese
Sick Amoure
Nickel plated Mirror polished steel
72″ x 36″ x 48″
Michael Genovese
Sick Amoure
Nickel plated Mirror polished steel
72″ x 36″ x 48″
Michael Genovese
Esquiqa
Nickel plated Mirror polished steel
134″ x 1″
