Random thoughts on Tom Burr

Mary suggested that I check out Tom Burr, a New York-based artist working in collage/sculpture/installation. She informed me that he was part of the institutional critique/ American Fine Arts early New York scene, and she especially suggested I track down images of the hotel room in Paris where Jim Morrison died that Burr recreated/cast in bronze for Art Basel last Summer. I thought it would be fun to share my (super informal) research with everyone, so here it is!


Tom Burr : He graduated from the School of Visual Arts here in NYC in 1986 and then went on to the Whitney Independent Study Program from 1987-88. From what I gather, his work is influenced by the Minimalism and Conceptual movements, but it doesn't strictly follow either.

(short article) Art installation inspired by Morrison’s Paris hotel room possibly worth 1,000,000 €

Room Four, 2012; Patinated bronze, electrical cord, and light bulb

(Note: There were 3 editions of this piece and I'm not sure what images are from what edition, except the last image is obviously from the first edition that was exhibited at Art Basal 2012...)











Burr is represented by the Bortolami Gallery here in NYC. Perusing images on Bortolami's website, I came across another installation Burr created in 2012 titled deep wood drive and I am really digging it, especially since it (remotely) bears a resemblance to some of the aesthetic values I cultivated in my own wood and metal sculpture projects this term. Note: Burr used upholstery tacks to fasten fabric to the frames, a technique he explored in different contexts from 2010-12 (ish). (He also uses upholstery tacks to fasten articles of clothing to canvas, with the clothing often flowing outside of the bounds of the stretch bars.)

deep wood drive, 2012



 



I like Burr's exploration of human spaces; places people (could) inhabit or occupy, but are absent from. Empty chairs seem to be a recurring theme in his work, as do discarded articles of clothing. I also really appreciate Burr's use of negative space to create conversation and, often, tension in his installations. His sculptures rely heavily on 2-dimensional planes: for example, he likes cubes; squares and rectangles are present more often than curves. (Of course, he definitely does deviate from this!) Burr makes many pop icon references, like Jim Morrison and Andy Warhol (and vinyl records, in general), and I feel that, even aesthetically, there is something a little bit 60s/70s retro about his work. Burr's attention to detail is wonderful. Even dirt is placed with a perfectionism that I greatly appreciate. There is an order to his disorder.

Here is a relatively short interview worth watching (ignore the weird intro music):

Any thoughts on Tom Burr?