Matthew Barney, “Secret Name,” cast lead, polycaprolactone, copper, and zinc, 2008/2011 (photo by twi-ny/mdr)
Gladstone Gallery
530 West 21st St. between Tenth & Eleventh Aves.
Tuesday – Sunday through October 22, free, 10:00 am – 6:00 pm
212-206-9300
www.gladstonegallery.com
Since 2007, multimedia installation artist, filmmaker, and former college football hero Matthew Barney has been developing Ancient Evenings, an ambitious collaboration with Jonathan Bepler inspired by Norman Mailer’s 1983 novel. Incorporating American automobiles, mythical figures, and such settings as a Chrysler dealership, a Detroit sewage treatment plant, and a glue factory, the rather unusual opera includes the pouring of hot metal onto the stage. The resulting sculptures, along with lovely, mysterious ink-on-paper “River Rouge” drawings and other related works, are on view in “DJED” at the Gladstone Gallery in Chelsea through October 22. The San Francisco-born Cremaster maestro has given the pieces such curious titles as “Canoptic Chest,” “Secret Name,” and “Sacrificial Anode,” inviting visitors to venture into his surreal, engaging landscape, some of which Cremaster fans will get an extra kick out of as they recognize the references. The display is on two floors, so be sure to go upstairs to experience the complete exhibition.