Tara Donovan

For over a decade, American sculptor Tara Donovan has transformed huge volumes of everyday items into stunning works of phenomenal impact. Layered, piled, or clustered with an almost viral repetition, these products assume forms that both evoke natural systems and seem to defy the laws of nature. Donovan explores how a single action applied to a single material countless times can transcend our expectations. Creating astonishing visual experiences, the artist's work invites closer looking and bigger thinking about the everyday materials that surround us.

Haze (detail)

Haze, 2003
Stacked Clear Plastic Drinking Straws
12' 7"(H) x 42' 2"(W) 7 3/4"(D)
Ace Gallery New York

Lure, 2004
Fishing Line
2 1/2"(H) x 10'6"(W) x 26'(D)
UCLA Hammer Museum, CA

Untitled (detail)

Untitled, 2003
Styrofoam Cups, Hot Glue
Dimensions Variable
Ace Gallery Los Angeles, 2005

 

Untitled, 2003
Paper Plates, Glue
3 1/2'(H) x 4'(W) x 9'(D)
Ace Gallery Los Angeles, 2005

She employs everyday objects such as drinking straws, buttons or No. 2 pencils to create large-scale sculptures and prints that take on a life (and light) of their own. She allows the shape of the chosen material to determine the form of the piece until it becomes magically other (think vast moonscape in Styrofoam cups), managing to transcend both materiality and gimmickry in a culture that celebrates both.

Tara Donovan Slideshow

TMagazine Article