Known for her commitment to process, Tara Donovan employs everyday objects such as scotch tape, styrofoam cups, paper plates, toothpick, and drinking straws to create large scale sculptures and prints, and has earned acclaim for her ability to discover the inherent physical characteristics of an object and transform it into art. Her pieces often have a biomorphic quality, and tends to take on a life of their own; I believe this is because she chooses the material before she decides what to do with it: When asked how an installation began, she’s likely to respond with something vague, like “I don’t remember specifically” or “It was a matter of identifying transparent materials.”
She allows the shape of the chosen material to determine the form of the piece –
starting with one object she keeps adding, and how the pre-made objects can fit together determines the end result.
She allows the shape of the chosen material to determine the form of the piece –
starting with one object she keeps adding, and how the pre-made objects can fit together determines the end result.
Many of her pieces reflect things seen in nature, but I don’t think she is actually representing specific things in nature; She is not making a piece with the thought that it will be a flower, or sea urchin. Donovan says of her work, “It is not like I’m trying to simulate nature. It’s more of a mimicking of the way of nature, the way things actually grow.
Her method has long remained consistent. She spends hours experimenting with materials until she happens on something that works. ‘‘I think a lot of people get caught up when they ask me about the labor,’’ she says, ‘‘and I always think the labor is sort of the reward: I’ve already figured this thing out. All I have to do now is do this thing. It’s very freeing. I can think about what I want to cook for dinner!’’
I didn’t relate to this thought process until I started the transformation assignment. I have put numerous hours into doing the same thing over and over, with the hopes that the end result is something much greater than the one piece I started with.
However, I could not do this much work knowing that while the end result would be enjoyed, it would not last very long. Donovan works knowing that many of her pieces have to be built each time it is shown, such as “Untitled (Plastic Cups)” pictured above. In this piece, she stacks millions of transparent plastic cups in a tight, rigorous grid and sculptures the swaying piles into gentle waves that suggest a cross-section of a pixilated landscape.
Her method has long remained consistent. She spends hours experimenting with materials until she happens on something that works. ‘‘I think a lot of people get caught up when they ask me about the labor,’’ she says, ‘‘and I always think the labor is sort of the reward: I’ve already figured this thing out. All I have to do now is do this thing. It’s very freeing. I can think about what I want to cook for dinner!’’
I didn’t relate to this thought process until I started the transformation assignment. I have put numerous hours into doing the same thing over and over, with the hopes that the end result is something much greater than the one piece I started with.
However, I could not do this much work knowing that while the end result would be enjoyed, it would not last very long. Donovan works knowing that many of her pieces have to be built each time it is shown, such as “Untitled (Plastic Cups)” pictured above. In this piece, she stacks millions of transparent plastic cups in a tight, rigorous grid and sculptures the swaying piles into gentle waves that suggest a cross-section of a pixilated landscape.
In “Untitled (Glass),” pictured left, Donovan stacks sheets of tempered glass into a perfect cube, then working carefully one by one from bottom to top, she strikes a single corner of each pane with a hammer. She contain the glass with a wooden frame while she works, and once the mold is removed, the cube “stays in place,” she said. “You can still see the layers, but everything’s really broken into itty-bitty teeny-weeny shards.” However, the glass cube must always be built from scratch — and perhaps more than once during a single showing. “If you bump into this and knock a corner off it, it can’t be repaired or remade with the same materials,” said Donovan, “It has to be made over again.”
I think this means that much of her work is as much about the process as it is about the finished piece, especially the glass piece, as when the show is finished, the piece, according to Donovan, “gets taken away with a shovel.”
I think this means that much of her work is as much about the process as it is about the finished piece, especially the glass piece, as when the show is finished, the piece, according to Donovan, “gets taken away with a shovel.”
Works Cited
Kino, Carol. “The Genious of Little Things.” The New York Times: Art & Design. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Feb. 2014. <http://www.acegallery.net/artistmenu.php?Artist=8 The New York Times: Art & Design “The Genio
“Pace Gallery - Tara Donovan.” Pace Gallery. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Feb. 2014. <http://www.pacegallery.com/artists/111/tara-donovan>.
“Tara Donovan.” Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 17 Feb. 2014. Web. 24 Feb. 2014. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tara_Donovan>.
“The Right Stuff | Tara Donovan Is The Ultimate Material Girl.” T Magazine The Right Stuff Tara Donovan Is The Ultimate Material Girl Comments. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Feb. 2014. <http://tmagazine.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/02/11/the-right-stuff-tara-donovan-is-the-ultimate-material-girl/>.
Kino, Carol. “The Genious of Little Things.” The New York Times: Art & Design. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Feb. 2014. <http://www.acegallery.net/artistmenu.php?Artist=8 The New York Times: Art & Design “The Genio
“Pace Gallery - Tara Donovan.” Pace Gallery. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Feb. 2014. <http://www.pacegallery.com/artists/111/tara-donovan>.
“Tara Donovan.” Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 17 Feb. 2014. Web. 24 Feb. 2014. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tara_Donovan>.
“The Right Stuff | Tara Donovan Is The Ultimate Material Girl.” T Magazine The Right Stuff Tara Donovan Is The Ultimate Material Girl Comments. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Feb. 2014. <http://tmagazine.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/02/11/the-right-stuff-tara-donovan-is-the-ultimate-material-girl/>.