Jorge Pardo is interested in collapsing the boundaries of art, architecture, and design through the appropriation of domestic architectural elements, which he transforms into seductive yet practical sculpture. He is an outstanding representative of that movement in contemporary art that tries to come to grips with the relationship between design and art. Pardo has said that he is inspired and influenced by the best California mid- century architecture and design, such as that of Richard Neutra and Rudloph Schindler, and he wants to make sculptural objects that would follow those modern tenets and at the same time perhaps thwart the viewers idea of what sculpture could and can be.
His works assume very different forms, and frequently integrate chairs, lamps, pictures, photographs, floor coverings, and books. In "Project for Lever House," Pardo has created a number of intricate, slatted plywood chair-like and table-like forms that cradle biomorphic, colored glass lamps. These object appear to be familiar furniture forms, however they are clearly not functional. Pardo has created an environment of glowing saturated colors and anthropomorphic bases that are clustered in casual groupings, complete with visible electric cords. In addition, he has created four large works on paper that echo similar forms and colors, and consist of pantone ink, enamel, and varnish.
Jorge Pardo was born in Havana, Cuba, in 1963, and moved to California as a young child. He studied at the Art Center College of Design, Pasadena, and lives in Los Angeles. He has exhibited internationally, including the Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles; Kunsthalle Basel; Museum Boijmans van Beuningen, Rotterdam; The Museum of Modern Art, New York; and Museum of Contemporary Art, North Miami. He has also completed a number of public projects, including the Delegates Dining Room of the German Parliament, Berlin; Turbine Hall of the Stadtwerke Dusseldorf; Kanazawa Museum for Contemporary Art, Japan; and a public park in downtown Liverpool, England.
Richard D. Marshall, Curator
Works in the Exhibition:
JORGE PARDO
PROJECT FOR LEVER HOUSE, 2003-04
Birch plywood, blown glass, electric lights and wiring; and ink, enamel, and varnish on vellum
Overall dimensions variable