Cluster of Four Cubes 1992

Here we see George Rickey’s Cluster of Four Cubes, a kinetic sculpture made of stainless steel. Rickey’s sculptures are all about movement and the process of artmaking itself, how it unfolds and interacts with the environment. The surfaces of the cubes have these small, repeated markings. It's almost like looking at brushstrokes, but on metal, this texture changes with the light and makes you more aware of how the air moves around it. It gives it an almost hand-wrought feel. What’s so interesting is how these cubes create a kind of unstable equilibrium. They’re fixed in place, but the way they seem to teeter and catch the breeze makes them feel like they could float away. Alexander Calder's work comes to mind. But where Calder uses biomorphic shapes and bright colors, Rickey sticks with geometry and the cool sheen of metal, emphasizing the beauty of physics and motion itself. It’s like he's inviting us to consider the endless possibilities of balance and change.