Pilot (Jammer) 1975

Rauschenberg's 'Pilot' might be a painting, a sculpture or a collage of some kind – but whatever it is, it plays with our perception of everyday objects. I am imagining Rauschenberg in his studio. You know, he was always on the lookout for things, gathering materials, and letting them speak to each other. Here, he’s draped these luscious cloths – teal, sunshine yellow, and bleach white – each with their own materiality, next to a bamboo pole. These elements create a story without a clear narrative, a little bit like how I approach making a painting. The pole leaning against the panels brings a sense of makeshift construction. This simple gesture, this juxtaposition, turns the cloths into a space, a site for us to project our thoughts, memories, or dreams. This piece feels connected to his experiments with silkscreening and found objects. All these artists, from the past and the present, seem to be in a perpetual conversation, trading ideas, and twisting them into something new.