Richard Rezac at Rhona Hoffman Gallery

by Anna Rathman

In minimalist fashion, Richard Rezac combines geometric design and industrial materials to make work that closely relates to architecture and industry.  His work, on show at the Rhona Hoffman gallery, uses cast bronze, aluminum, cherry wood, cast hydrocal, and in one case dyed silk. Often only using one or two materials in each piece, form takes prominence in the work. With the exception of Aesop, all works included in the show are untitled. Rezac’s intention was to leave the work open to interpretation. Aesop ends up standing out from the rest because of its title and being the only work not displayed on a wall. Yet, the title does not contribute to a better understanding of the piece more that others. The overall feeling is that perhaps the works’ individuality only matters aesthetically, but conceptually only contribute to the overall body of work.

The show speaks to the manipulation of humans over products. The scale and location of Rezac’s current exhibition contribute to a new twist on a long-standing conversation about his work. Some of his past work was approximately body-sized, inviting the comparison of manufactured goods to humans. The smaller works on display give less physical power to the objects, and instead speaks to the human dominance over them. In some of his past outdoor works, the conversation veered towards the manipulation of humans and industry over nature, but the display of his work indoors eliminates thinking about the work in a broader context, and boils it down to a conversation products, their makers, and their audiences.

The inclusion of preliminary drawings for the works on show only furthers the similarity to industrial products and architecture, recalling mock-ups and blue prints. Diagramed one-dimensional views of the sculptures appear more like abstract drawings rather than fully describing the works. Products and buildings are articulated three dimensionally using computer programs; Rezac’s work is executed by hand using pencil, emphasizing the human presence in the otherwise cold designs. The closer the viewer gets to the work, the more flaws are present. This holds true with the sculptures as well. Rezac successfully borrows their language, in order to speak about industry in a generalized way.