Rachel Whiteread at Museum of Fine Arts Boston on artrepublic.com
Exhibition running from Oct 15 2008
until Jan 25 2009
Haunting and yet familiar are the works of renowned sculptor Rachel Whiteread. Themes of absence and memory are embodied in her interpretations of everyday, domestic objects and their overlooked "negative" spaces-the interior of a closet, the section of a floor, or the hollow of a chair. An exploration of the artist's innovative use of the unseen areas that complement an object's identity is presented in Rachel Whiteread, an exhibition at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (MFA). On view October 15, through January 25, 2009, it is Whiteread's first solo museum show in the United States since the presentation of two sculptures in 2002 at the Guggenheim Museum, as well as the American premiere of her dramatic new installation Place (Village) (2006-2008, Courtesy of the artist and Gagosian Gallery). The exhibition includes six additional sculptural pieces and 15 rarely seen drawings by the British contemporary artist. Rachel Whiteread is generously funded by The Carl and Ruth Shapiro Family Foundation, with additional support from the Catherine and Paul Buttenwieser Fund, the Robert and Jane Burke Fund for Exhibitions, anonymous donors, Irma Fisher Mann and The Barbara Lee Family Foundation Fund at the Boston Foundation. The highlight of Rachel Whiteread is an assemblage of approximately 200 vintage dollhouses- all hand-made in a variety of architectural styles and averaging three feet tall-which the artist collected during the past 20 years. Titled Place (Village), this sculptural interpretation evokes reminders of the past as preserved in a sprawling hillside "community" of quaint homes, each with its own story to tell. Assembled in a darkened room of the MFA's Foster Gallery, the houses are lit from within, but deserted-their emptiness evoking haunting memories and melancholy. "Rachel Whiteread gives meaning to the empty spaces of our lives as she explores the poignant connections that exist among objects, history, and time," said Malcolm Rogers, Ann and Graham Gund Director of the MFA. "As one of today's most important sculptors, she is recognized for the humanity of her works, ranging from the profound and personal to monumental and public. We are pleased to offer the US premiere of her newest installation, Place (Village). "The artist has been making sculpture primarily through the process of casting-using plaster, rubber, resin, and sprayed concrete-ever since her graduation from London's Slade School of Fine Art in 1987.Individual sculptures by Whiteread, displayed in an adjacent room of the MFA gallery, serve as counterpoint to the installation. A lighter palette sets the tone, as select examples of interior objects are presented, from an early floor piece in rubber and a cast of a door, to more recent "stacks"cast from the interiors of tattered boxes, suggesting the deconstruction of comfort, home, and memory. These works include: Untitled (Amber Floor) (1993, Courtesy of Luhring Augustine, New York), a rubber cast of a floor section; Double-Doors II (A+B) (2006-2007, Courtesy of the artist and Gagosian Gallery), two panels in plasticized plaster with interior aluminum framework; and Cabinet XI (2007, Courtesy of the artist and Gagosian Gallery), a cast of a cabinet made out of metal and plaster. Rarely seen drawings from throughout Whiteread's career also are on view, as well as five created for Place (Village), which have never been exhibited. Whiteread for her installation Place (Village). OPENING HOURS: Mon & Tue: 10.00 -16.45, Wed - Fri: 10.00 - 21.45, Sat & Sun: 10.00 - 16.45 Image Credits: Image 1: Untitled, 2006, Rachel Whiteread (British, born in 1963), Gouache, pencil and collage on paper* Courtesy of the artist and Luhring Augustine, New York.*Courtesy, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston Slide Show: Place Village (detail), 2006/2008 Rachel Whiteread (British, born in 1963) Installation view from Psycho Buildings: Artists Take on Architecture at The Hayward *Courtesy, The Hayward, London and Museum of Fine Arts, Boston *Photograph © Stephen White Place (Village)¸ 2006–08 Rachel Whiteread (British, born in 1963) Doll houses, crates, boxes, wood, electrical fixtures, and fittings, and electricity *Courtesy the artist and Gagosian Gallery, London*Photograph © Mike Bruce *Courtesy, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston Place (Village)¸ 2006–08 Rachel Whiteread (British, born in 1963) Doll houses, crates, boxes, wood, electrical fixtures, and fittings, and electricity *Courtesy the artist and Gagosian Gallery, London*Photograph © Mike Bruce *Courtesy, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston  |
