Elizabeth Turk: New Series and the Exploration of Negative and Positive Spaces

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Sandra Waters
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1 Elizabeth Turk: New Series and the Exploration of Negative and Positive Spaces Negative space in art - the space where there is nothing - can be as provocative as the area used for positive images. This is the place where there are voids, interior spaces or areas within a work of art where images and forms cannot be seen. What is not seen, then, becomes as important as that which is evident to the eye. Elizabeth Turk, the sculptor and draftsman, compellingly uses negative space in most of her work. (Figure 1.) She was once quoted as saying Minimalism is the black hole from which all of my work emerges. (Polichar, art ltd, January/February 2012, pg. 58.) What seems to be essential to her is that which is invisible to the eye. We at the Mint are familiar with one sculpture and several drawings from her series titled Collars. The Mint, in fact, gave her first solo exhibition in 2004, which included this piece. Within the intricate, seemingly moving forms she created from Macedonian civic marble, are areas of blank relief. These negative spaces are the exact opposite of the highly detailed positive areas, allowing both the eye and the mind to rest. Elizabeth s two most recent series are titled Ribbons and Cages. These works continue her exploration of positive and negative spaces while also drawing heavily on patterns that appear in nature. Both series were completed over four years, between 2007 and In the Ribbon series (Figure 2.), long lines of a seemingly flat ribbon fold over, back and sometimes stack upon one another in a manner which embodies movement, life and flexibility, though made from non-life-like, extremely hard marble. Just as in the Collar series, there are negative spaces that balance the positive spaces. There are areas where there is no definite image, allowing needed pauses for the eye. These ribbon images seem to have life as they wind vertically and horizontally, defying gravity and the very material from which they were sculpted. Elizabeth forms the hard marble into works that are delicate, light and airy, almost as if the hard marble were liquid thrown into space and captured visually as it falls. (Figure 3.) Using an electric grinder or small dental and jewelers tools, her own body has become as sculpted by the activity as the marble pieces she works on. Elizabeth was quoted as saying I love making these objects. The rhythm of movement, the intense focus, the physicality of tools, the properties of materials, these are all pure elements. (The Collars: Tracings of Thought, Mint Museum of Art, October 2, 2004.) The most recent series by Elizabeth is titled Cages. (Figure 4.) A single line, again, almost like a ribbon, is unbroken and moves in and around itself to engulf the open, negative space within, similar to the Collar series. While the Cage series depicts spaces that are enclosed in outside shapes of circles, rectangles or squares, they maintain airiness and lightness by not being solid masses. Once again, these images seem to have life, as the negative areas balance the more intricate designs of the positive areas. She has said I liked the idea of an object that was entirely open in the interior, but with locked parameters. The undercuts and what s not there are much more interesting. Philosophically, I like 1

2 the idea of emptiness, the Buddhist concept of emptiness. In the Cages the magic is making them feel as if they have that loss of solidity. (Dimling Cochran, Sculpture, January/February 2012, pgs ) Elizabeth designs all of the bases for her sculptures. They are as conceptualized as the sculpted pieces themselves. She looks at the two as a whole, allowing for fluidity and solidarity in the entire presentation. Her intricately carved sculptures take years to create and their delicate fragile nature makes them difficult to transport, which along with installation, is a major concern to her. It was, in fact, in 2010, as she transported cross-country the sculpture we have on exhibit, that she learned she had been awarded the prestigious MacArthur award. This is also known as the Genius Award. Before sculpting, or to relax from the physical labor of it, Elizabeth creates elaborate conceptual drawings. ( Figure 5.) Working in graphite or pen and ink, she has created single drawings and numerous sketchbooks. Two of her graphite drawings, which we have here at the Mint, show areas of intense detail. They are heavily shaded and reminiscent of the curving, intricate images in her sculptures. Surrounding these many-faceted areas are very large spaces of negativity. This, as in her sculptures, allows a respite from the concentrated, detailed areas. It is again, then, this negative space which enables the eye to rest, only later to re-examine the positive, most detailed drawing areas. Elizabeth is able to maintain interest and curiosity in her work by compellingly integrating negative and positive areas. These areas not only balance one another but also provide visual resting spots of great contrast. She has shown this curiosity and exploration of negative and positive spaces in all the work she has undertaken, whether in the medium of sculpture, graphite or pen and ink. Submitted by Linda Bruning Spring 2012 Sources: Polichar, Bruce, Bruce Polichar on Elizabeth Turk, art ltd., January/February 2012, p. 58. Dimmling Cochran, Rebecca, The Line Defining Three-Dimensional Space: A Conversation With Elizabeth Turk, Sculpture, January/February 2012, pp

3 Addendum: Elizabeth was awarded the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation grant in In March of this year, she was featured in a solo exhibition at the Hirschl & Adler Modern Gallery in New York City. She lives in New York, while maintaining a studio in a marble fabricating facility in Santa Ana, Calif. Born in 1961, Elizabeth earned a B.A. in International Relations from Scripps College, Claremont, California, and a M.F.A. from the Rinehart School of Sculpture, Maryland Institute, Baltimore, Maryland. 3

4 . Figure 1. Collar series Figure 1. Collar series 4

5 Figure 2. Ribbon series 5

6 Figure 3. 6

7 Figure 4. Cages series 7

8 Figure 5. 8

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