"Art in Review: Mark Handforth" by Karen Rosenberg

MARK HANDFORTH

Gavin Brown’s Enterprise        620 Greenwich Street, West Village

Balancing Minimalist reticence with accessible symbolism, Mark Handforth’s sculptures quietly destabilize high-profile public settings. One of his contorted lampposts was installed in 2003 at the southeastern corner of Central Park, and his giant, upside-down road sign reading “No Exit” was prominently displayed at the 2004 Whitney Biennial.

Each of the large-scale, statement-making sculptures in his fourth show at Gavin Brown has the potential to stand on its own. “Tumbleweed,” a scattering of white, pink and violet fluorescent lights, liberates Dan Flavin’s neat columns of neon. “Rope Snakes,” a giant, convincingly textured cast-bronze in the form of a coiled rope, and “Sidewalk Heart,” a rusty pipe transformed into a romantic candelabra, play with scale in a manner reminiscent of Claes Oldenburg’s.

Read full article at nytimes.com