Contemporary Contemporary Museums Metropolitan Museums

Walter deMaria – deMenil Museum – Houston

Houston – Tx – November, 2011
 

Restored, old cars – three 1950’s Chevy – all the same except pieced by a different shape.  All were on a pedestal, a big one. A  chromed rod in the extruded form of a triangle, a circle and a square about 3 feet in diameter went through the front and back window of each car.

Just saying this probably doesn’t affect you as it did me – I sucked in my breath.

Then start seeing all the small difference – the shape of the giant extrusion aside, I started to see difference in the restorations: one had a slightly ‘worn’ Chevy emblem.  All were red and cream and of the ‘deluxe’ model.  And then the visual differences were how the rod reflected light and shadows that were cast.

Penetration was the elephant in the room. The pedestal demonstrated, and some knowledge confirmed, that these cars never rolled, so these are just sculpture. There were no tire tracks, no mirrors, no wipers – the cars are the form that hold the rods – the penetration.