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Artist Statement:
The essence of my work is the indeterminacy of
perception. I am interested in exploring visual perspective and
the body's physical awareness of objects. This can be understood
as the space of the eye in contrast to the space of the hand.
The eye sees near and far to an almost unlimited degree. While
the hand, limited in scope to the length of the arm, gives us an
accurate understanding of the size, shape and depth of things relative
to our bodies. Through these different ways of perception,
linked with intuition and reasoning, we come to understand our
environment and the things in it. My sculptures are an
investigation of the ambiguity of sight and the certainty of
tactility. They are sites where visual sensation and physical
presence lead to changing interpretations of space and volume.
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Eric Tucker: "Recent Sculpture" at Zg
Gallery
Through the
melding of minimalist and abstract expressionist modalities, Eric
Tucker’s geometric sculptures seek to reveal the disparity that exists
between visual perception and physical reality. Formally, the
principles of minimalism are strictly followed; the openness,
transparency and weightlessness of the repeated geometric shapes are
conveyed by an overall economy of substance and a concise use of
highly refined industrial materials adhering to the minimal
aesthetic. The expressive aspect of the work is the result of subtle
shifts away from the otherwise precise mathematical arrangement of the
elements towards what Tucker refers to as, “the purely subjective act
of composition.”
Tucker states,
“The essence of my work is the indeterminacy of perception. I am
interested in exploring visual perspective and the body’s physical
awareness of objects. My sculptures are an investigation of the
ambiguity of sight and the certainty of tactility. They are sites
where visual sensation and physical presence lead to changing
interpretations of space and volume. The sculptures present the
dichotomy between illusory and literal spaces. Through these
different ways of perception, linked with intuition and reasoning, we
come to understand our environment and the things in it.” This is
clearly present in Tucker’s relief sculptures. Groups of flattened
outlined cube forms jut off the wall in arrangements of three or
four. They are attached to the wall and each other by rods or bars
made of the same material; aluminum, bronze or stainless steel.
Taking advantage of the shadows cast by the flattened cube shapes and
the inherent three dimensional expectation of sculpture, he is able to
point out the weaknesses of visual perception with what Clement
Greenburg called “eye undeceiving
trompe l’oeil.”
Tucker continues, “From the frontal position the wall acts as a ground
plane, much like a sheet of paper. Initially, the hanging ‘cubes’
appear to be subject to traditional figure/ground relationships.
However, the compositions create ambiguities between figure and
ground. One can look through the cubes and see the armatures. The
‘mass’ of the cube dissolves into a ground. The sculptures, which at
first appear clear, become highly interpretive and subjective. They
invite the viewer to explore and visually rewrite them.”
Tucker’s
free-standing floor pieces attempt to subvert the traditional roles
played by line and color. Each work consists of a brightly colored
square platform upon which a hexagonal tinted Plexiglas form is
propped up by an aluminum armature. Tucker states that “line and
color are often seen as distinct elements with fundamentally different
properties. Color is seen as relative, irrational, even
intoxicating. Line, on the other hand, is rational, clear and sober.
Color plays a very predictable role in my sculptures. A yellow piece
of Plexiglas over a red base looks kind of orange – no big surprise
there. The color acts as logically here as in the color wheel. The
linear elements of the sculptures are far less predictable. The edges
and bars create an image from a particular perspective which is not
visible from others. As the viewer moves around the sculptures the
shapes appear distorted and even disappear. Line becomes the
irrational element.
“My
sculptural investigation draws from Modernist concepts of order and
disorder. Using minimalist compositional strategies, I make geometric
sculptures based on line, flatness, pattern and illusion. The objects
adhere to mathematical or visual systems simultaneously ordered yet
illogical. My interest lies between the internal relationships of the
object and the external space of the viewer, specifically the viewer’s
activity in the space surrounding the sculpture. The spectator’s
changing point of view activates the relationships between the parts
of the sculpture. Illusions are visible only from certain
perspectives while other perspectives offer a purely literal sense of
space. My work engages the physicality of looking and the
possibilities of the viewer to create narratives between the parts and
the whole.”
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Resume |
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Education: |
M.F.A. University of Chicago, IL
B.A. Indiana University Northwest, Gary, IN |
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Exhibitions: |
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2005 |
Zg Gallery, "Working
Process," Chicago, IL
Zg Gallery, "Summer Show
'05," Chicago, IL
Art Chicago,
Zg Gallery, Chicago, IL |
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2004 |
Zg Gallery, "Summer Show
'04," Chicago, IL
Zg Gallery, "Eric Tucker, Recent Sculpture," Chicago, IL
read review |
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2003 |
Zg Gallery, "As Small As
Possible," Chicago, IL
Bachman Gallery, "Salon Show," Munster, IN |
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2001 |
IUN Center for
Contemporary Art, Solo Exhibition, Gary, IN
Gallery 312, "Butterflies and Other Monsters" Chicago, IL
Midway Studios, M.F.A. Thesis Exhibition, The University of Chicago,
IL |
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2000 |
Center for Fine and
Performing Arts, Faculty and Alumni Exhibition, IN University
Northwest, Munster, IN |
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1998 |
Gallery Northwest,
Senior Thesis Exhibition, Gary, IN |
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