We the People (detail) 2011

Danh Vō made this sculpture out of copper, creating separate parts that come together, or don’t, depending on who installs them. Imagine being Vō, or one of his many collaborators, hammering and shaping these pieces. I can picture him, in the studio, sweat on his brow, thinking about the Statue of Liberty, which this artwork references. It's not about exact reproduction, but more about deconstruction and dispersal. The copper has a certain warmth, doesn’t it? A reddish-brown that catches the light in such a way that it feels almost alive. It's as though it's breathing, or maybe that’s just my imagination running wild. But that’s what art does, right? It gets you thinking, feeling, questioning. I think of Richard Serra, with his massive steel forms. They're different, of course, but both explore space and perception. Artists like Vō and Serra invite us to see the world in new ways, to embrace the unexpected, and to find beauty in the imperfect.