Swing for Stumps 1993

Vasiliy Ryabchenko made "Swing for Stumps" out of wood, but when I look at it, I keep thinking about how we decide what's precious and what's disposable. I mean, here we have these tree stumps, raw and kind of brutal, almost like they were ripped from the earth. And then there's this pristine wooden frame, all neat and tidy, holding one of the stumps like it’s a prized object. It’s hung on chains, like a perverse chandelier! The wood of the frame looks so smooth, so processed, compared to the rough, splintery texture of the stump. There’s something unsettling about this contrast; the stump looks almost tortured. Ryabchenko reminds me a little of Eva Hesse, who also played with the tension between organic and geometric forms. Ultimately, “Swing for Stumps” feels like it's asking us to reconsider our relationship to the natural world, and maybe even to question what we value as a society.