The exhibition presents a number of McCaslin’s sculptures situated in a large-scale installation made of metal studs. The overall layout of the construction material mimics that of a home and sections the space into separate rooms. Each room houses artworks that include material associated with that room - a tub in the bathroom, cabinets in the kitchen, a bed in the bedroom, and a sprinkler in the backyard.
Despite the recognizabilty of the material, McCaslin’s work resists both use and safety. Ceiling fans hang loom close to the ground and electric currents run through water. One’s sense of familiarity is met with disassociation and danger.
With the metal studs, McCaslin casts a grid, from which all forms spawn. The completion of form, however, is not marked by the ultimate disappearence of the grid. In Place to Put It, the grid remain active, generating a network of visual interplay between the sculptures.
Matthew McCaslin (b.1957, Bayshore, NY) is a sculptor, electrician, plumber, woodworker, and everything in between. He received his BFA at Parsons School of Design, NY. Throughout his near forty-year career, he has shown extensively all over the world including The Museum of Modern Art, New York, Centre d'Art Contemporain, Dijon, Art and Public, Geneva, Sprengel Museum, Hannover, Germany, Ateliers d'artistes de la Ville de Marseille, Dallas Museum of Art, Kunstbunker, Munich, Velan Centro d'arte Contemporanea, Turin, and the Contemporary Jewish Museum, San Francisco, to name a few. His work can be found in the collections of LA MoCA, the Dallas Art Museum, National Collection of France, Museum of Modern Art, Vienna, Walker Art Museum, the Rubbell Collection, and the Jewish Museum.