I have always been fascinated with how space is composed and experienced. When you consider space you must look beyond the objects or elements that define it and study the void. This is the territory our bodies and minds occupy, and each situation offers a unique set of conditions and experiences. Move or remove a single element and the experience of a space changes. Space is easy to overlook because we are always surrounded by some spatial condition — it is like the air we breathe. As I have studied and made spaces over the years, I have always considered the least number of actions required to meaningfully transform or impact a particular space. That is why I admire and am intrigued by the work of American artist Fred Sandbacik.
Sandbacik studied under Donald Judd at Yale, and his work includes sculpture, painting and prints. In the work shown here, untitled (1990), he takes simple store bought acrylic yarn and stretches it between the floor and ceiling of the exhibition spaces. In describing his work Sandbacik states, “It’s a consequence of wanting the volume of sculpture without the opaque mass…to make sculpture that didn’t have an inside.” Although he talks in terms of the art object, Sandback clearly sees his interventions operating in space and actively impacting the viewer’s movement and experience. His stripped-down interventions allow the viewer to consider the impact of each string, each of which has a surprisingly powerful spatial impact.