Tara Donovan at ICA, Boston

Tara Donovan at the Institute of Contemporary Art, Boston

The American sculptor transforms disposable objects into stunning works of art
Pins: Collection of the artist; Toothpicks: Private Collection; Glass: Courtesy of PaceWildenstein; Photo: John Kennard

Untitled (Pins), Untitled (Toothpicks) and Untitled (Glass)
2004, 1996, 2004
For one of her earliest exhibited works, Donovan sprinkled wooden toothpicks into a four-sided mold, then took the sides away. Without any kind of adhesive, the picks held themselves precariously in place as a three-foot cube. (Because to move the piece means to destroy it, it has to be reproduced from scratch every time it's exhibited.) For a similar sculpture she performs the same action with straight pins. For another piece she stacks sheets of glass into a cube formation then taps each sheet at the corner so that it shatters, to produce a "solid" cube of broken glass.

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