Tag: ugo rondinone

Ugo Rondinone at Gladstone Gallery

Lightning strikes three times in the same spot at Gladstone Gallery’s high-ceilinged 21st Street space in the form of bronze sculpture by Swiss New Yorker Ugo Rondinone.  Trees scanned, 3-D printed and cast in bronze have been inverted to resemble day glow yellow bolts of light; at the same time, they belong to the terrestrial realm by still clearly resembling trees.  As nature upends our expectations again and again through storms, floods and extreme temperatures, Rondinone questions the natural order.  (On view in Chelsea through Nov 9th.

Ugo Rondinone, installation view of ‘bright light shining’ at Gladstone Gallery, Oct ’23.

Ugo Rondinone at Gladstone Gallery

Like his colossal humanoids made of rough-hewn blocks of stone at Rockefeller Center in 2013 or his colorful rock stacks located outside of Las Vegas, Ugo Rondinone’s towering sculptures at Gladstone Gallery offer a transformative experience.  Titled ‘nuns + monks,’ the three figures are scaled up bronze versions of stones broken in ways that resemble figures in voluminous ecclesiastical garments.  Rondinone explains that nuns and monks exist as ‘vessel and beacon, human body and mystical source,’ and therefore represent the possibility of new metaphorical interpretation. (On view in Chelsea through June 18th.  Masks and social distancing are required.)

Ugo Rondinone, Installation view of ‘nuns + monks’ at Gladstone Gallery, May 2021.

Ugo Rondinone at Barbara Gladstone Gallery

In Ugo Rondinone’s exhibition of stacked sculptures at Barbara Gladstone Gallery in 2013, the Swiss artist piled rocks to resemble human figures. Here, vivid colors set the tone for a show that is about visual pleasure. In the background, a circular form (made from branches cast in aluminum and gilded) stands in for the sun setting over this cheery, primordial landscape. (In Chelsea through Oct 29th).

Ugo Rondinone, installation view of ‘the sun at 4pm’ at Barbara Gladstone Gallery, 530 W. 21st Street, Sept 2016.
Ugo Rondinone, installation view of ‘the sun at 4pm’ at Barbara Gladstone Gallery, 530 W. 21st Street, Sept 2016.

‘Hello Walls’ at Barbara Gladstone Gallery

Titled after a Willie Nelson ballad about lost love, ‘Hello Walls’ at Barbara Gladstone Gallery’s 21st Street space dwarfs the viewer with huge wall paintings by big-name artists. Here, Ugo Rondinone’s fuzzy target at the show’s entrance acts like a pulsing beacon to draw visitors into the gallery while Michael Craig-Martin’s take-away cup is so big it feels architectural. (Through July 31st).

Installation view at Barbara Gladstone Gallery’s 21st Street location, Michael Craig-Martin on left, Ugo Rondinone on right, July 2015.

Ugo Rondinone in ‘Lightness of Being,’ at City Hall Park

In a more intimately-scaled followup to Swiss-American artist Ugo Rondinone’s powerful installation of stone characters at Paula Cooper Gallery this spring, the artist revives his recurring clown figure as a performer at City Hall Park.   Even asleep, this character is imposing and mysterious with his colorful nylon costume, collar of feathers and thick shawl.  (Through December 13th).   

Ugo Rondinone, dog days are over, performance, 1996/2013.