Alex Buchanan

‘In the service of the sublime’

“Sucker for Sunsets” (retired blended synthetic hawser), by Alex Buchanan, in his show “Abberation’’, at the New Bedford Art Museum, through Oct. 27.

— Image courtesy of the New Bedford Art Museum

From the museum:

“The displays the work of former mariner Alex Buchanan, who takes rope, fishing nets and steel from clam cages and combines those materials with nautical knot tying to ‘[lift] them out of the realm of utilitarian activity transfiguring them in the service of the sublime,’ according to a curatorial statement. Buchanan's large-scale sculptures of rope, metal and other recycled materials ‘display a commanding technical bravura and an undeniable presence’ while also seeming soft, familiar and nostalgic for anyone who grew up in a coastal community.”