Artists Space

Six Sculptors

January 25 – February 22, 1986

Artists Space is pleased to present Six Sculptors, a group exhibition organized by Artists Space curator Valerie Smith. Artists in the show are: William Harvey, Lisa Hoke, Steven Schiff, Ritsuko Taho, B. Wurtz, and Yuriko Yamaguchi. The exhibition will be accompanied by an 8 page illustrated brochure with an essay by Valerie Smith. Six Sculptors opens January 25th, and a curators talk is scheduled for Saturday, February 1, 4-5pm.

Group exhibition organized by Artists Space curator Valerie Smith

A flowing figure with a circle underneath and small shapes covering head and hand with a white background.
Lisa Hoke, View, 1985. [A flowing figure with a circle underneath and small shapes covering head and hand with a white background.]

William Harvey's painted, free-standing wood sculptures quote from art historical and literary sources. Harvey's large piece entitled Legacy refers to Alberto Giacometti's sculpture Legacy of the Day. The various images in the piece are compartmentalized, and a small symbolic figure reappears several times suggesting a narrative which travels from one end of the piece to the other.

Lisa Hoke's sculpture is constructed out of colorfully painted concrete which is applied over a steel armature or skeleton. The heavy concrete forms perch themselves precariously on spindly rods to create a playful image with Surrealistic effects. Hoke's vertical pieces suggest figures which are offset by their truncated and suspended forms.

Steven Schiff's works are tableau-like arrangements mounted on tables. The tableaux are meant to be seen from one specific vantage point. The viewer looks through a frame at a still life or abstract composition, a device which suggests one specific view of the world. The frame also refers to the limits or parameters of vision and emphasizes the patriarchal and Renaissance one-point perspective. Schiff's work reconstructs a series of social attitudes in order to reexamine them.

Ritsuko Taho uses landscape as a point of departure to create large site-specific installations. The work is constructed out of natural materials which are removed from their original environment. Taho assembles and combines these organic elements to recall a memory image out of a specific time or place she has experienced. The result is a poetic organization of fragments suggested by ideas and emotions from her past.

B. Wurtz's installations consist of groupings of found objects, usually mounted on pedestals. Some of the work is constructed or stacked in a totemic fashion. The effect created by the pedestals and stacking lends meaning and monumentality to his small objects setting up a dialogue between the ephemeral nature of his assemblages and their traditional treatment.

Yuriko Yamaguchi/s painted wood constructions are small, variously shaped pieces arranged in groups on the wall. These compositions are reminiscent of primitive carvings. They read like oriental characters in which the white wall spaces between each image holds as much meaning as the individual pieces themselves. Yamaguchi's work involves the creation of a personal and poetic visual language.

William Harvey lives and works in Long Island City, New York. His work was included in group shows at the Kitchen, New York City and at Georgetown Court Artist's Space, Active Culture Exhibitions (A.C.E) and District Creative Space, all in Washington, D.C.

Lisa Hoke lives ad works in New York City. She has recently shown her work at the Sculpture Center and the New Museum and did an outdoor piece at Kenmare Park, NY.

Steven Schiff lives and works in Brooklyn, NY. He has recently shown in two group exhibitions: "The Terminal New York" show in Brooklyn and at the Brooklyn Museum Community Gallery.

Ritsuko Taho lives and works in Provincetown, Mass. She has shown extensively throughout Japan, and recently at the Yale Arts and Architecture Gallery, New Haven, Conn. This is her first show in New York.

B. Wurtz lives and works in Los Angeles, California and New York. He has recently shown at Los Angeles Contemporary Exhibitions (LACE). The show also travelled to Galerie Beau Lezard, Paris. This is his first show in New York.

Yuriko Yamaguchi lives and works in Washington D.C. She has shown extensively in Washington including: The Washington Project for the Arts, Corcoran Gallery of Art, Hirshhorn Museum and the Maryland Art Institute Baltimore.

A black and white photograph of a black pipe sticking through a large white shape coming from a large book. A wrinkled curtain is visible behind the construction.
William Harvey, Pipe Dream, 1985. [A black and white photograph of a black pipe sticking through a large white shape coming from a large book. A wrinkled curtain is visible behind the construction.]
A black and white photograph of two constructed shoe-like objects on small constructed shape sitting on the grass in a foresty area.
Ritsuko Taho, Untitled, 1985. [A black and white photograph of two constructed shoe-like objects on small constructed shape sitting on the grass in a foresty area.]
In the foreground lies a silver sculpture with varying levels and in the background is a table with a checkered design on top. An image stands on that table and a stool can be seen behind it.
Installation view from Six Sculptors, Artists Space, January 25, 1986 - February 22, 1986. [In the foreground lies a silver sculpture with varying levels and in the background is a table with a checkered design on top. An image stands on that table and a stool can be seen behind it.]
A number of small figurines appear on a sculpted object with various other items including a half of a guitar and a picture. All appearing in a white-walled gallery space.
Installation view from Six Sculptors, Artists Space, January 25, 1986 - February 22, 1986. [A number of small figurines appear on a sculpted object with various other items including a half of a guitar and a picture. All appearing in a white-walled gallery space.]
A number of flat-paneled works appear hanging on the gallery wall while various sculptural forms are on pedestals or on the floor in front of them.
Installation view from Six Sculptors, Artists Space, January 25, 1986 - February 22, 1986. [A number of flat-paneled works appear hanging on the gallery wall while various sculptural forms are on pedestals or on the floor in front of them.]

Six Sculptors B. Wurth Artist Statement

Six Sculptors Lisa Hoke Artist Statement

Six Sculptors Risuko Taho Hand-Written Artist Statement

Six Sculptors Risuko Taho Typed Artist Statement

Six Sculptors Steven Schiff Artist Statement

Six Sculptors William Harvey Artist Statement

Six Sculptors Exhibition Card, Back

Six Sculptors Exhibition Card, Front

Six Sculptors Press Release

Artists Space activities are made possible by the National Endowment for the Arts, a Federal agency; the New York State Council on the Arts, the Institute for Museum Services, and the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs; Art Matters, Inc., the Jerome Foundation, Samuel Rubin Foundation, and The Wallace Funds; the American Express Company, AT&T Communications, Citibank, Consolidated Edison, EXXON, R.H. Macy Company, Mobil Foundation, Morgan Guaranty Trust Company, Faine Webber, and Philip Morris, as well as numerous Friends.

    Sculpted boots appear wih leaves on a leaf-covered section of the floor surrounded by a picket fence. In the background a white door opens up with a stack behind it. Nearby tree branches and other rustic constructions populate the gallery space.
    Installation view from Six Sculptors, Artists Space, January 25 ,1986 - February 22, 1986. [Sculpted boots appear wih leaves on a leaf-covered section of the floor surrounded by a picket fence. In the background a white door opens up with a stack behind it. Nearby tree branches and other rustic constructions populate the gallery space.]