Five Open Geometric Structures 1979

Editor: This is Sol LeWitt's *Five Open Geometric Structures*, displayed at the Tate. They're simple, almost like skeletal buildings. What cultural echoes do you hear when you look at these forms? Curator: I see a deliberate stripping away, almost a deconstruction. The shapes themselves – the cube, the pyramid – are primal, found across cultures representing stability, aspiration, even spiritual hierarchies. Editor: So, the act of opening them up… what does that signify? Curator: It disrupts the expected. The closed form offers containment, security. By opening it, LeWitt invites the viewer into the space, both physically and conceptually. It’s almost a challenge to the viewer’s own preconceived notions of form and function. Editor: Interesting. I hadn't considered the subversion of those primal symbols. Curator: Indeed. The mind fills the gaps, searches for meaning, and in that search, creates its own narrative.