Topologic Exercise 1959

Curator: Immediately, I see architectural forms and a sort of quiet, meditative quality. Editor: And a challenge to accepted notions of industrial production. Here we have Tomas Maldonado's "Topologic Exercise" from 1959, a sculpture crafted from metal, representing a key moment in the development of abstract constructivism. Curator: Metal? It looks almost like a precisely fabricated ceramic. The smooth surface hides the joins perfectly, it speaks to ideals of functionalism being applied beyond domestic product or factory goods, brought to sculpture instead. How do you see its public role and potential within an exhibition context? Editor: Maldonado’s embrace of geometric abstraction placed him squarely within a historical lineage, even as it also challenged it. By putting process on display, his work serves a pedagogical function, but it also encourages critical spectatorship; we must look past the flawless construction, in order to decipher it. Its construction seems to defy easy understanding, doesn’t it? It’s abstract but seemingly representing a thing. Curator: Indeed, the very essence of constructivism involves breaking down forms to their essential geometric elements, isn't it? But why? Well, because such pure form encourages consideration and allows the mind to play within such conceptual parameters and see beyond the mundane objects which fill everyday lives. Look at the legs upon which the sculpture balances! The work questions what a “base” may actually do, how much of it you need. Is the leg part of the work? It appears not to be – which adds to the cerebral element here, I find. Editor: Exactly. It challenges our assumptions, about art, but also about our environments, asking us to engage in both critical aesthetic appreciation but in wider politics of manufacture. Maldonado advocated for an interdisciplinary approach that embraced industry and technology. The neutrality and the anonymity that he strove for in visual form were attempts at transparency that also made it easier for others to adopt his aesthetics. But ultimately, what is so fascinating to me, are questions surrounding what this piece truly says. Is it cold, lifeless or uplifting in form? Curator: The sculpture's simplicity directs us towards process and construction techniques, asking us to reflect on a potential and alternative future for manufacturing—beyond capitalism itself. Editor: The piece’s inherent ambivalence to me then means it still remains so vital and worthy of contemplation, six decades later.