Gilgamesh 1993

Jimmie Durham put together this piece, Gilgamesh, from wood and metal. There is something immediate about the way Durham brings these materials together. They have a feeling of just being found and directly combined, like a three-dimensional collage, or a funky assemblage. Look at the wood, its grain feels very present, not obscured by any surface treatment. The metal elements, like the cylinder or the rods attached to the top of the wooden plank, also speak to the basic properties of the material, without being excessively refined. You can imagine the artist working intuitively and in direct response to the physical character of the materials at hand. Durham's interest in the elemental aligns him with artists like Joseph Beuys, who also explored the intrinsic and metaphorical qualities of organic materials. But unlike Beuys, Durham embraces a certain lightness and sense of humor. Ultimately, the meaning remains open, inviting the viewer to engage in an act of collaborative meaning-making.