Yad 1972

Douglas Abdell made this "Yad" sculpture from mixed media, and seeing it feels like stumbling upon some strange mechanical beast. The black and white, high contrast palette gives it an otherworldly, sci-fi feel, but the materials are so tactile, so real. Looking closer, the surface is a collage of textures. The smooth, almost reflective planes, give way to rougher, more matte areas. There's a tension between the geometric and the organic that I find really compelling, like the sculpture is caught between being a machine and something alive. Take that odd cylindrical shape, it seems functional, industrial even. But it’s also kind of comical, like a watchful eye staring back at us, or a cartoon mouth. This reminds me of the playful sculpture of artists like Jessi Reaves, who also brings an unlikely vulnerability to what we think of as rigid forms. In the end, it's this uncertainty, this embrace of multiple readings, that makes Abdell's piece so fascinating.