Altmejd At Rosen Kicks Serious Ass

David Altmejd is in no way facile.

There's an immediate stupidness to what he does, and a laboriousness to the way he overcomes that initial stupidness. He's the anti-Sibony. He not only refuses to cling to what is sculpturally correct, he addresses and overcomes each Sculpture I cliche. That Liz Craft-style fight against tradition is what makes his work complex and tender. The latest effort at Rosen is no exception--it is simultaneously grand and humble. Laugh-out-loud funny because it is as serious as a heart attack.

If only I had a camera, I could have taken good closeups of the huge man made almost entirely out of crystal-clutching plaster hands! If you've ever taught sculpture, you've seen whole shops full of them! The way he dives into hammy tropes like this--The Giant Everyman, the Alginate Project, the Smithson Crystal, the Broken Mirror--and then actively wrestles each of these groaners into meaningfulness using diligence and sensitivity! This is an appropriate response to a world in which you are small and everything's been done before!