#291 1997

Jessica Stockholder made "#291" by assembling domestic items to create a sculpture or assemblage. What strikes me first is the way color organizes the composition, from the mellow mustard and cobalt hues of the cushion, through the boxy plastic frames, down to the matching orange of the small hand-held plungers. I find myself drawn to the stacked arrangement, the way Stockholder has played with our expectations of form and function. The cushion, casually hung, supports the plastic frames in a play on ideas of support. The eye travels from the circular mirror to the cascade of orange plungers, a visual echo that unites the piece. It makes me think of Kurt Schwitters, who elevated the everyday detritus to the status of art. But unlike Schwitters’ collages, Stockholder’s sculpture bursts into our space, challenging us to reconsider the world around us.