Local Treasure


'Local Treasure' glitters with wry wit September 28, 2008 Section: Arts Page: F5 Wesley Pulkka For the Journal The Albuquerque Art Business Association recently named sculptor and furniture maker Steve Madsen a Local Treasure, and the MoRo Gallery honored him with a solo show. Madsen established his West Side Albuquerque studio and workshop 40 years ago. Since that time he participated in local, national and regional shows with his space-age furniture and surrealist sculpture until seven years ago, when he became too busy completing commissions to work on his personal projects. The guest artist exhibition at the MoRo Gallery is an eye-popping blend of fastidiously executed furniture and sculpture. Craftsmanship and imaginative design have always been hallmarks of whatever Madsen touched, and this new collection is no exception. The exhibit opens with "Man-O-Kin," a large-scale wood-turned assemblage that is typical of Madsen's older works. This piece and others in the series are reminiscent of chess pieces. The scale of these abstracted figures would allow them to be used in an outdoor garden largeformat chess game. The overall look of Madsen's lacquered wood pieces is a combination of surrealistic tinker toys and the Jetsons' living room furniture mixed with the visions of Rene Magritte and Joan Miro. Madsen plays with color and shape to lighten the message in "Eat or Be Eaten," an insouciant view of the food chain. In the rectangular composition a stylized banana, apple, cherry and some other unidentifiable yummies are being devoured by an elongated Pac-Man figure. The sculpture looks like an abacus gone awry. In his sculpture "Forbidden Fruit," Madsen reinterprets the story of Adam and Eve at the Tree of Knowledge. As with most of his pieces "Forbidden Fruit" is filled with whimsy and a touch of darkness. In Madsen's telling of the story of Eden, Eve plays the role of Adam's helpmate as well as the tempting serpent. Madsen is seduced by pure abstraction in "Geometric Jungle" a coherent jumble of black-and-white shapes with a jaunty rhythm. The piece combines round and rectilinear shapes with cones and triangles. The high point is a searing white accent on the inside of a small black doughnut form on a curved stem. Flying saucers may have inspired Madsen's "Approaching Saturn at a High Rate of Speed," a round glass-top table with six lathe-turned legs. The top has been sandblasted to form small craters of various dimensions that give the piece a lunar look. In "The Descent of Man," five Mirolike amorphous shapes illustrate humanity's return to primordial ooze. Another social commentary can be found in "Rising Above Bedlam," a satiric view of the world's cultures. America is represented by a McDonald's store. Madsen's "Future Forest" represents a tree-filled glen spoiled by a spilled barrel of oil that creates a black oozing pool of blight. Though some may take offense at Madsen's wry wit and biting political satire, I find his work charming and so well made that it leaps over emotional and philosophical barriers. It's a great show with only a few days left. Don't miss it if you love workmanship. If you go WHAT: "Local Treasure: Steve Madsen" sculpture and expressive furniture WHEN: Through Oct. 2. Hours are noon-5p.m. Wednesdays-Fridays and noon-5 p.m. Mondays and Tuesdays by appointment only. Call 242-6272 or 270-2777 WHERE: MoRo Gallery, 806 Mountain NW HOW MUCH: Free All content copyright © 1995-2004 Albuquerque Journal and may not be republished without permission. Send comments or questions to newslibrary@newsbank.com

'Local Treasure' glitters with wry wit

September 28, 2008
Section: Arts
Page: F5

Wesley Pulkka For the Journal

The Albuquerque Art Business Association recently named sculptor and furniture maker Steve Madsen a Local Treasure, and the MoRo Gallery honored him with a solo show. Madsen established his West Side Albuquerque studio and workshop 40 years ago. Since that time he participated in local, national and regional shows with his space-age furniture and surrealist sculpture until seven years ago, when he became too busy completing commissions to work on his personal projects.

The guest artist exhibition at the MoRo Gallery is an eye-popping blend of fastidiously executed furniture and sculpture. Craftsmanship and imaginative design have always been hallmarks of whatever Madsen touched, and this new collection is no exception. The exhibit opens with "Man-O-Kin," a large-scale wood-turned assemblage that is typical of Madsen's older works. This piece and others in the series are reminiscent of chess pieces. The scale of these abstracted figures would allow them to be used in an outdoor garden largeformat chess game. The overall look of Madsen's lacquered wood pieces is a combination of surrealistic tinker toys and the Jetsons' living room furniture mixed with the visions of Rene Magritte and Joan Miro. Madsen plays with color and shape to lighten the message in "Eat or Be Eaten," an insouciant view of the food chain. In the rectangular composition a stylized banana, apple, cherry and some other unidentifiable yummies are being devoured by an elongated Pac-Man figure. The sculpture looks like an abacus gone awry. In his sculpture "Forbidden Fruit," Madsen reinterprets the story of Adam and Eve at the Tree of Knowledge. As with most of his pieces "Forbidden Fruit" is filled with whimsy and a touch of darkness. In Madsen's telling of the story of Eden, Eve plays the role of Adam's helpmate as well as the tempting serpent. Madsen is seduced by pure abstraction in "Geometric Jungle" a coherent jumble of black-and-white shapes with a jaunty rhythm. The piece combines round and rectilinear shapes with cones and triangles. The high point is a searing white accent on the inside of a small black doughnut form on a curved stem. Flying saucers may have inspired Madsen's "Approaching Saturn at a High Rate of Speed," a round glass-top table with six lathe-turned legs. The top has been sandblasted to form small craters of various dimensions that give the piece a lunar look. In "The Descent of Man," five Mirolike amorphous shapes illustrate humanity's return to primordial ooze. Another social commentary can be found in "Rising Above Bedlam," a satiric view of the world's cultures. America is represented by a McDonald's store. Madsen's "Future Forest" represents a tree-filled glen spoiled by a spilled barrel of oil that creates a black oozing pool of blight. Though some may take offense at Madsen's wry wit and biting political satire, I find his work charming and so well made that it leaps over emotional and philosophical barriers. It's a great show with only a few days left. Don't miss it if you love workmanship. If you go WHAT: "Local Treasure: Steve Madsen" sculpture and expressive furniture WHEN: Through Oct. 2. Hours are noon-5p.m. Wednesdays-Fridays and noon-5 p.m. Mondays and Tuesdays by appointment only. Call 242-6272 or 270-2777 WHERE: MoRo Gallery, 806 Mountain NW HOW MUCH: Free