Caephae-Aekyad #2 1980

Douglas Abdell made this sculpture, Caephae-Aekyad #2, with its imposing dimensions, in order to dominate space and form. There is a brutal, monumental, quality here. It's not just about the stacked cubes but the way they engage with each other, like a strange dance, or a conversation. I imagine the artist experimenting and moving the different components, stacking and unstacking, trying to find the right composition. It feels raw and like this is the only configuration that made sense. The monochrome palette and the material give it a primitive look, like it could be an ancient monolith. You know, sculptors and painters are always inspiring each other across time. Maybe Abdell was looking at some early Egyptian art or Cycladic sculpture when he made this? Who knows? It’s this kind of artistic exchange that makes art so interesting and enduring.