Vittorio 1979

Lynda Benglis made Vittorio, an object that sits somewhere between painting and sculpture, out of some unknown material, and covered it in gold. Benglis' approach is about letting things happen, and you can see that in the way the gold drapes and folds. It's not about precision, it's about embracing the mess, the gooeyness of the material. Gold is such a loaded colour and substance, right? We think about wealth and power, but here it’s kind of rough, like something found rather than crafted. I love how the light catches on the ridges and valleys of the surface. It feels so physical, like you could reach out and touch it. There's a tension between the preciousness of the gold and the roughness of the form, which stops it from being gaudy. It reminds me a little of the work of Niki de Saint Phalle, who also embraced bold forms and colors. Art is this amazing conversation across time, where artists respond to each other, challenge each other, and keep pushing the boundaries of what's possible. It's all open to interpretation.