“Rugged Road and Power Lines” (welded steel, rugs, installations together), by Boston-based Andy Zimmermann, in his show “Rugged Road,’’ at Boston Sculptors Gallery, Dec. 14-Jan. 290.
The gallery says:
“Two ambitious installations, ‘Rugged Road’ and ‘Power Lines,’ combined to suggest a landscape, anchor the show, which also includes smaller-scale welded steel sculptures and digital collages.
The titular installation, ‘Rugged Road,’ features a collection of rugs suspended in a steel scaffolding constructed to form a composition evocative of a flower or an explosion. Collected from a range of sources, including yard sales, flea markets, thrift stores and ebay, some are new and made to look used while others are truly worn, and come from as far afield as Morocco, Turkey, and Afghanistan. The rugs suggest a wide range of human conditions, from a symbol of great opulence, to a wrapper carried by a refugee family, from a piece of trash, to a magic flying carpet.
“The ‘Rugged Road’ construction is situated within the surrounding installation entitled ‘Power Lines.’ These welded steel structures clearly refer to high-tension electric lines and their support towers. Placement and forced perspective describe a rugged landscape, with symbolic and political overtones.
“The re-purposing of materials is an underlying theme for Zimmermann. Most of the rugs are used, providing archeological evidence of decades of life in a household. Much of the steel scaffolding has been used by the artist in previous installations. The signs of use and wear evident in these materials become part of the content in their present iteration. This concept is further explored in the digital collages on display. They include images of some Zimmermann’s earlier artworks, elements of autobiography to be unearthed.’’
