What's it like to start out at Carole A. Feuerman's studio?

A new intern started at my New York studio this week.  Craig is a graduate of Pratt in Brooklyn, where he studied product design, and he’s going to be gaining experience doing both writing and fabrication work for the studio.  I asked him to write a post about how his first week here has been:

I have worked a lot of different kinds of jobs.  I grew up in Scotland and Ohio, and ever since I moved to New York six years ago it’s been non-stop hustle.  Working for Carole so far has been validating because it feels like the different kinds of work and education I’ve landed in could all be useful in some way here.  Beyond that, her studio is a place where I’m going to have the chance to expand a lot of different skills that I’ve only been able to dip my toes into before.  Instead of spending all day yelling at tourists for the East River Ferry or getting paid under the table to package toffees Uptown, here I get to engage with the art world both as someone who can think and write about the work of a groundbreaking sculptor like Carole and who can work with my hands with the team that realizes her ideas.

Getting down to business with Survival of Serena.

Last week I translated Carole’s bio into German, my family language, and Greek, which I learned while attending a university in Athens for a year.  Translating an artist’s biography is a more difficult linguistic task than I expected it to be!  In Greek, I immediately ran into the problem that a direct translation of hyperrealism, “υπερρεαλισμός,” is a word that’s used in Greek to refer to the Surrealist movement of the early 20th century.  It took research on Greek art blogs that talked about Carole and her contemporaries to find out that the movement that she helped pioneer is usually referred to by its English name in Greek to avoid confusion.

In German, there was a different set of obstacles.  German has a lot of what are known as false friends: words that sound the same in German and English but have subtly different uses between the languages.  When I sent my draft to my papa to proofread, he had to remind me that while English uses the word sculpture for both the field of making sculptures and the sculptures themselves, Skulptur in German only refers to the art object produced and the field is usually called Bildhauerkunst.  Luckily these obstacles are enjoyable to overcome; by comparing the way words and ideas are talked about in different languages, it becomes more possible to precisely grasp the ideas themselves and the meaning that underlies the communication mode you’re employing.

In the end, this is one of the exciting things about art as a communication method.  The art objects that Carole produces are ways of producing a dialogue that you would conduct very differently in English or Greek.  That’s been the other engaging thing about beginning work in this studio: the chance to interact intimately with Carole’s work.

This week I waxed a giant inflatable swan at Mana Contemporary in New Jersey, and buffed up giant women to get them ready to show.  In New York, I worked on chasing a cast of a new sculpture and taping up a Balance to be ready for painting.  Spending more time with these sculptures makes room for the strangeness of the studio to sink into me bit by bit: beautiful figures surrounded by disembodied limbs everywhere, crates full of people, scale shifts that leave you unsure if you’re a giant or an ant.  My coworkers switching back and forth unconsciously between calling the sculptures hers, hims, and its.  Watching a models face get consumed by casting goop.  Getting spooked by the bronze bust of a man that I see behind me in the mirror every time I open the bathroom door.

Heath works on Midpoint.

I talked with the studio team a little about the surreality of the space, and according to them everyone adjusts to it eventually.  The works are their profession, they have to be rationalized and understood practically so that they can be produced to the highest quality.  I understand the necessary trade off, but for now I’m in love with the contrasts in this space, the fantastic interior reality of this artist’s studio invisible to the satellites passing overhead.  I’m thrilled to have the next three weeks of this internship in this space.

—Craig Hartl

Carole Feuerman’s Sculptures Installed Throughout Europe

Venice, Capri & Positano, Kassel, Basel, Porto

Montenegro

 

Survival of Serena in Piazzetta Capri

Art lovers around the world will be going to Europe over the next five months to see the art chosen for the Venice Biennale, Art Basel and Documenta 14.  If you are going to Europe, you should stop in to see Carole A. Feuerman’s latest public exhibitions! Let me tell you about the shows that are currently in place. 

The first show you should see is her solo exhibition in Venice featuring ten iconic outdoor sculptures. Located right next to the Venice Biennale on the canal Arsenale stop, her sculptures are keeping the largest yachts company. This exhibition, “Personal Structures, Open Borders" is installed in the Giardino Della Marinaressa (Riva dei Sette Martiri, 30122 Venice, Italy) and is open to the public through December 5, 2017, from 10:00 am to 6:00 pm daily, but her Venice shows do not stop there. Her works can also be seen in Palazzo Mora, Palazzo Bembo, San Clemente Palace, and Bel-Air Fine Art Gallery.

Click here to see a video of the installation of

Personal Structures, Open Borders. 

The Midpoint, Hand-Patinated Epoxy Resin, 53 x 22 x 16 inches, 2017

After Venice, head down to the Amalfi Coast where you can see Feuerman’s Monumental Quan on display in Positano at Liquid Art System. Then take the ferry to Capri to see Feuerman’s most iconic sculpture, Survival of Serena, on display in the center of the Piazzetta! Since the moment of its installation, people cannot stop photographing the sculpture or asking to be photographed close to "her" with the backdrop of the majestic Mount Solaro, overlooking the Bay of Naples. Take a look on Instagram at #carolefeuerman. 

Survival of Serena, Monumental Size, Swarovski Crystals and Patinated Resin in Piazzetta of Capri

After Italy, make your way north to Switzerland. Art St. Urban Foundation in Lucerne has a permanent exhibition of Feuerman’s earlier erotic pieces. It is located in the former Cistercian monastery of St. Urban and dates back to 1184. Nestled in an enchanting landscape, Art St. Urban offers the unique and impressive environment of art installations throughout the property. The building that now houses the museum was once used as a psychiatric clinic of the canton of Lucerne since 1873. The installation was organized by Gertrud Aeschlimann and curated by Peter Frank, Art Critic at The Huffington Post and Associate Editor of Fabrik Magazine.

Installation view of Lust & Desire, Art St. Urban, Lucerne, Switzerland

Art St. Urban has developed into an important art center with the participation of regional, national and international artists, art enthusiasts and art lovers, becoming a unique cultural platform for art education and art promotion.

Art St. Urban, Lucerne, Switzerland

I’m sure you want to see Documenta as well, so head to Germany to view Feuerman’s latest collaboration with world-renowned furniture designer Masin Idriss. Feuerman’s work is presented by Galerie Klose (Wilhelmsstraße 8, 34117 Kassel, Germany) for this two-person exhibition during Documenta 14. The exhibition runs from June 18 through September 17, 2017. Feuerman’s sculptures are installed in the context of his furniture designs highlighting her new tabletop-sized “Quan” along with six other tabletop-sized pieces. 

Masin Idriss - Glass Tube, Carole Feuerman - Miniature Quan, 2017

Bel-Air Fine Art in Porto Montenegro will prominently display Feuerman’s monumental outdoor bronze sculpture, Beyond The Golden Mean. Towering 16-feet in the air and weighing 1.5 tons, the sculpture balances on 6 inch wrists. It brings Feuerman's message of perseverance, achievement and balance to the viewer. It took over 8,000. hours and more than 5 years to create. To learn more about the process click here.  

Feuerman with Beyond the Golden Mean, 2014, Hand-Patinated Bronze, 54L x 38W x 150H (inches)

Feuerman is recognized as a pioneering figure in the world of hyperrealistic sculpture. She is one of the three artists, along with Duane Hanson and John De Andrea, who started the movement in the late seventies by making life-like sculptures that portrayed their models precisely.  

Snap some selfies with Feuerman’s sculptures and tag them with #carolefeuerman so we can see where you’ve traveled. Enjoy the summer!