For some, a gift is only as valuable as the object inside; for others, the decorations transform a normal day into a special one. Like half glasses of water, these absent presents function as barometers of optimism or pessimism.

These sculptures are constructed from consumer-grade art materials—store-bought papers in predetermined colors, light-as-air balsa wood—which heighten the contrast between the material and the ineffable. I was interested in asking, Does the artist imbue the object with this extraordinary essence, or does the viewer project it upon the work of art?

My interest in the material and ineffable is articulated by Fluxus artist Daniel Spoerri, who wrote in The Mythological Travels (1970):

...we’re all fetishists snared by the object... until they... pile up stripped of their magic and cut off from the memory of their history... all that remains of these preserves is the
container the artist made for them,... the container will never interest me as much as the contained, but where would i pour my wine without a glass?—and it is inbe-
tween these two poles of inseparability of the two that my anxiety of finding a definite solution will oscillate....

Images

1. Linked Gold Present, 2007, paper, 153 x 9 x 9 inches / 3.8 m x 23 cm x 23 cm
2. Chrome Present, 2007, balsa wood and paper, 9 x 21 x 20 inches / 23 x 53 x 51 cm
3. Stacked Orange Present, 2007, balsa wood and paper, 53 x 27 x 27 inches / 134 x 69 x 69 cm
4. Stacked Red and White Present, 2007, balsa wood and paper, 78 x 14 x 14 balsa / 198 x 35 x 35 cm
5. Gold Present, 2007, balsa wood and paper, 22 x 18 x 18 inches / 56 x 48 x 48 cm
6. Green Present, 2007, balsa wood and paper, 18 x 22 x 16 inches / 56 x 56 x 41 cm
7. Light Blue Present, 2007, paper, 4 x 10 x 16 inches / 10 x 25 x 40 cm
8. Transparent Present, 2007, acetate, 9 x 10 x 10 inches / 23 x 25 x 25 cm
9. White Present, 2007, balsa wood and paper, 14 x 18 x 12 inches / 36 x 46 x 30 cm
10. Blue Present, 2007, paper, 3 x 8 x 12 inches / 8 x 20 x 30 cm