Mercury Zero Summer Glut 1987

Robert Rauschenberg made this sculpture, Mercury Zero Summer Glut, out of metal and found objects. I love how it’s this collision of things, like a punk version of ready-made art! What do you think he was thinking when he pieced it together? Perhaps he thought about flight and containment. The fan cage around the light feels like a trapped thought, ready to burst out. The patina on the metal wing looks like it has been weathered by many travels. The contrast between the freedom of the wing and the confinement of the cage is intense. Rauschenberg's work really resonates with me. His fearless embrace of the unexpected feels like an open invitation to experiment, to push boundaries, and to find beauty in the most unlikely places. It's like he is winking at us from the past, saying, “Hey, let’s make some art together.”