About the Exhibition
Richard Deacon (b.1949, Bangor, Wales) is widely regarded as one of the foremost sculptors of our time, best known for creating abstract works that combine biomorphic, open forms and virtuoso engineering. Decidedly asymmetrical, Masters of the Universe: Screen Version is a series of sausage-shaped forms, which tilt and interconnect to form a molecule-like cluster. The individual elements range in size from one-and-a-half feet to almost seven feet. From at least one side it appears to sit flat on the ground. Seen from other positions, it looks as though the sculpture is lifting off the ground, angling upward with weightlessness that is uncharacteristic for a large stainless-steel sculpture. For Deacon, this dynamic relationship between the sculpture and its physical surroundings is significant; he views both the solid form of the sculpture and the space contained within it as equally important.
Deacon has often written and spoken about the relationship between language and sculpture, noting that “the title falls in between the sculpture and the spectator.” Masters of the Universe: Screen Version is a reference to constellations in the nighttime sky. In particular, the artist is interested in the way we name clusters of stars based on the two-dimensional shapes they resemble. He observes that there are an infinite number of different relationships among these stars—we just can’t see them from earth.