Matthew Marks Gallery (21st)
521 West 21st Street, 212-243-0200
Chelsea
October 20 - November 7, 2006
Reception: Friday, October 20, 6 - 8 PM
Web Site
Inspired by a packet of seeds the artist found in 2004 at a gardening center near his studio, this work is a photograph of a sculpture of a pure white jack-o-lantern. The artist began by forming the jack-o-lantern in clay, then cast it in plaster and other materials, and finally photographed it with a black background. The finished work is designed in the scale and format of a poster. It pairs the image of the pumpkin sculpture with text laid out by the artist, which reads Lumina Pumpkin, 110 Days, the time from germination to maturity for this particular kind of pumpkin, typically grown for carving and baking. At the lower left appears a company logo for St. Fiacre Seeds, an imaginary seed company named after the patron saint of gardeners.