Music Box 2016

Rodrigo Franzao’s ‘Music Box’ is a sculptural piece made with plaster, paint, and found objects. The palette is stark, mostly white with a dramatic slash of maroon, so the tactile qualities of the materials really come to the fore. It’s all about the stuff that makes up the thing. The most compelling part is the ragged hole in the center, like a missing tooth, or a wound. Through the hole, you glimpse the inner workings of the music box: the cylinder and comb that create the music. The exposed edges of the hole are rough and textured, like torn paper, which creates a compelling contrast with the smooth, painted surface of the surrounding plaster. Then you notice the careful mark-making around the edge; the texture of the plaster, the lines of the paint. This is a painting about the components of painting. I think Franzao is having a conversation with artists like Kurt Schwitters, who combined found materials into art. Artmaking is always about embracing accident and uncertainty, using it to create something new and unexpected.