“Elemental Matters” Reception Brings The Curious To Chesterwood
Jonathan Prince’s monumental sculptures explore the idea that things we see may not always be what they appear, and on July 29, a large crowd of artists, gallerists and the generally curious gathered on the grounds of Chesterwood in Stockbridge to explore its latest exhibition, “Elemental Matters,” and to meet the artist. Prince, a former maxillofacial surgeon who also has spearheaded various companies that worked at advancing the development of internet and media technology, turned to his passion for sculpture in 2002. His background in science, technology and medicine are reflected in his sculptures, which are rooted in geometry and made of stainless steel.
“Elemental Matters” is curated by photographer Cassandra Sohn, who is director of Sohn Fine Art in Lenox. The 12 large-scale metal sculptures have been placed around the Chesterwood property and sited so that each piece dramatically reflects the environment around it. The exhibit runs through October 24.
Despite the captivating beauty of the landscape at Chesterwood (a site of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, and the former summer home, studio and gardens of Daniel French Chester, America’s foremost sculptor of public monuments), all eyes were on Prince as guests gathered around his works and asked astute questions. Prince’s background in medicine clearly informs his work, as he refers to the “skin” on one of his works being akin to the epithelium or outer skin that others see when we when we are being looked at. The real question, he says, is real beauty found in the skin, or is it in the breaks and scars beneath?
For all of the “Elemental Matters” involved in these structures, says Prince, these works are about openheartedness. For all the cranes and forklifts it takes to build them, Prince is looking for the magic in the sculptures, because magic creates awe, and that allows our parasympathetic nervous system to relax.
“Each of the sculptures has a distinct story and their placements on the grounds of Chesterwood help bring those narratives to life,” says Sohn in her curator’s statement. Sohn is concurrently presenting “Fluidity of Light,” by Prince at her gallery. This exhibit includes his smaller sculptures as well as his mixed-media works on paper. That exhibit runs through September 5.
The internationally renowned Prince works from Berkshire House, his world-class fabrication studio that spans 23,000 square feet in Southfield, Massachusetts. A renovated 1902 dairy farm, it is now a creative hub that hosts conversations and collaborations surrounding art, technology, and gastronomy.
"Shelter I, II and III"
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