Locus #5 1972

Curator: Looking at "Locus #5" by Dorothea Rockburne, now at the Harvard Art Museums, I feel like I've stumbled upon a secret geometry lesson. Editor: It strikes me as serene and almost unsettling. The stark white and sharp angles definitely evoke a sense of rigid control. Curator: Rockburne often worked with vellum and the inherent qualities of paper. Here, I see her pushing the boundaries of minimalist sculpture. She's inviting us to contemplate form, shadow, and the subtle dance between them. Editor: Considering its visual austerity, there's a provocative element too. Its simplicity challenges the viewer to confront how institutions tend to sanitize radical expressions by placing them on white walls. Curator: Precisely! It's a meditation on the power of negative space, challenging us to perceive beauty in reduction. Editor: It's a stark reminder of the ongoing need to question our assumptions about art, beauty, and the spaces that house them. Curator: A lovely little spatial koan, then! Editor: Exactly, an ongoing dialogue, I hope.