cast aluminum painted in a light gray color, while the interior consists of hand-sculpted amorphous skin-colored synthetic resin that evokes organic, even intestinal, associations. 15a Portrait (The concept-artist smoking head, Stand-In) , 2016
The sculptures in Misfits are based conceptually around the idea of the playground and its limitations. The works were inspired by the surroundings of the Galleria d’Arte Moderna in Milan, where Baghramian presented a solo exhibition in 2021. Next to the galleries is a public garden where adults only have access if accompanying a child. The artist was interested in the potential of working with such a site, where children create the conditions for adults. From childhood, we are taught to assemble elements according to a way of thinking where things must necessarily fit one another. The forms in Baghramian’s Misfits do not dovetail perfectly and rather offer the experience of error as a viable path. Beauty lies precisely in such imperfect juxtapositions. 13 Slip of the Tongue , 2015 Rubber, epoxy resin, polystyrene, concrete, paint, aluminum, glass vitrine: 82 1/4 × 111 3/8 × 24 3/8 in Nancy A. Nasher and David J. Haemisegger Collection This work is part of a larger series first exhibited at the Art Institute of Chicago in 2014 alongside French Curve . Slip of the Tongue implicates the formal conventions of exhibition display through the use of a raised platform and a large glass vitrine to showcase a trio of unclassifiable appendices. The sculptures inside this vitrine are not self-supporting, but rather lean on the provided apparatus. The set of relationships binding these objects with their structure connects to a wider discourse about the role performed by a museum as a public site where knowledge is produced, classified, consumed, and critiqued. 14 French Curve , 2014 Casted aluminum, epoxy resin, lacquer 23 5/8 × 433 × 275 1/2 in French Curve was first presented on the roof terrace of the Art Institute of Chicago, where Baghramian had a solo exhibition in 2014. Coursing along the ground beneath imposing towers, the serpentine sculpture was conceived in relation and opposition to the city’s skyline. Titled after the technical template used to draw smooth curves in tailoring, this large, floor-based piece sits on a leisurely horizontal axis, conjuring the image of a backbone finally afforded some rest. The lateral, bottom, and top exterior surfaces are
This large artwork, suspended above the museum’s central staircase, introduces a visual motif inspired by orthodontic hardware that recurs across the second floor. Headgear is a version of the corrective mechanism of the same name, exponentially multiplied in scale. As in previous iterations of this work, it is attached directly to the building infrastructure, in this case, the rafters of the museum’s ceiling, recasting the institution itself as a body in need of remedial action.
Baryte b/w print (framed) 51 1/2 × 40 3/8 × 2 1/8 in
15b Portrait (The concept-artist smoking head, Stand-In) , 2016 C-print (framed) 42 1/4 × 56 1/4 × 2 1/8 in 15c Portrait (The concept-artist smoking head, Stand-In), 2016
10 The Pincher , 2017 C-print in artist frame 35 3/8 × 53 1/8 in
An abstracted tool, formed by loosely arranged, dark glossy parts, is the subject of this photograph, which recalls the seemingly neutral visual vocabulary of forensic documentation. One may assume these are pliers, or perhaps an archaeological discovery from a different time. It invites understanding through intuition, subjective imagination and critical scrutiny, processes and feelings integral to the experience of viewing art. 11a Scruff of the Neck (Stopgap) , 2016 Polished aluminium rods, polished
Baryte b/w print (framed) 60 7/8 × 45 1/8 × 2 1/8 in
This series of photographic “portraits” of billowing smokestacks plays on the German saying mir raucht der Kopf , which translates literally as “my head is smoking.” Departing from this verbal expression of deep, incessant thinking, Baghramian deploys the smokestacks as visual representations of the intellectual activity of artists and likening her own conceptual approach to factory production.
aluminium components 69 1/4 × 78 3/4 × 40 1/2 in
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All works by Nairy Baghramian. Courtesy the artist, Marian Goodman (New York/Paris) and kurimanzutto (Mexico City/New York) unless otherwise specified.
11b Scruff of the Neck (UL 12/13), 2016 Cast and polished aluminum, polished aluminum rods, plaster, beeswax and rubber 82 5/8 × 82 5/8 × 37 3/8 in 11c Scruff of the Neck (Stopgap) , 2016 Polished aluminum rods, polished
aluminum components 53 1/8 × 90 1/2 × 55 1/8 in
Scruff of the Neck is a suite of sculptures that take inspiration from dental prosthesis such as retainers, braces, bridges, and implants. In dialogue with Headgear , they reference a body in need of correction. The artist imagines these orthodontic apparatuses as large-scale objects, as if one had walked inside a mouth from the back of a head. 12 Misfits M , 2021 Varnished cast aluminum, walnut wood from Danh Vo’s McNamara project, marble, C-print in artist frame 69 5/8 × 28 3⁄4 × 70 in
Aspen Art Museum
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