Stahlbau HE 22B 2012

Editor: James Licini's "Stahlbau HE 22B," made in 2012 out of metal. It’s all straight lines and stark angles, so very geometric and... well, imposing comes to mind. I'm curious – what do you make of it? Curator: It's an absolute brute, isn't it? Like something Mies van der Rohe might have dreamt up after a very strong espresso. I see steel speaking for itself; a hymn to industry, raw strength and… deliberate clumsiness. Look how ungainly it is, like a robot attempting origami. Does it evoke any feeling in you? Editor: Clumsy origami, I love that! Maybe a bit cold? The metal and the monochrome tones kind of give off this distant feeling. Curator: Absolutely, there's a detachment. But perhaps that’s part of Licini's point? He's showing us the bones of our world, stripping away the frills to expose this unadorned essence. Makes you think about construction, doesn’t it? I always wonder if sculptors who use I-beams have considered it resembles a person with outstretched arms… Or am I going mad? Editor: Haha! Never thought of that. Now I can’t unsee it! I’m guessing there’s also some commentary here on minimalist sculpture... I always struggle with minimalism a bit, finding meaning beneath its hard surfaces... Curator: The beauty often lies in that struggle! It's a dialogue, not a declaration. Licini offers a set of constraints, a problem for the eye to solve, the mind to wrestle with. Like haiku – the smaller the poem, the grander the emotions. Does that help? Editor: Definitely. Thinking of it as a problem to solve, or a dialogue, rather than something meant to be passively appreciated… that shifts my perspective. Curator: Good. It should unsettle you, perhaps even irritate. That's when art begins to work its strange magic. Editor: It certainly does, the magic is starting to work on me now... Thanks!