Phase-Sponger 2012

Nobuo Sekine made this sculpture, Phase-Sponger, out of contrasting materials. It is such a simple palette: black and white. The form itself is where the magic happens. The lower portion of the sculpture looks as though its made out of some kind of squishy material, like clay, but in white, a color usually associated with cleanliness and rigidity. It creates a strange tension in the piece. The bottom looks as if it is being squashed and pushed, like dough spilling over the edge of a bowl. At the top there is a very smooth and flat black surface. This is the opposite of the bottom. It creates a kind of platform, like something has settled or landed. It’s as if Sekine is saying that even the most solid things in our lives are influenced by the chaos that lies beneath. This reminds me of Franz West. Both are artists who blur the line between sculpture and furniture in very clever ways.