cluster 2008

Here we have Carsten Nicolai’s 'cluster', looking like a bunch of silver globs! I can almost see the artist in his studio, carefully coaxing these organic forms into being. The metallic sheen gives the forms an otherworldly feel, don’t you think? The surface undulates with these bulbous protrusions, as if something's trying to break through or maybe it’s just the natural result of working with molten material. I love the way Nicolai balances control and chance. Each form looks both intentional and accidental, like they’ve grown organically, maybe even cells dividing. It reminds me a little of Lynda Benglis and her poured latex sculptures or maybe even some of the biomorphic forms you see in Arp or Miro. Artists are always having conversations with each other, sometimes across decades. This work invites us to embrace ambiguity and uncertainty and just let our imaginations run wild.