I staged my mid-career retrospective on 11 May at Spill Think Tank. The installation was inspired by Jonathan Borofsk’s Age Piece from 1972, which he made to document and reflect on his changing oeuvre, Borofsky was 30 years old when he made it. I’m 45. So better late than never. His work was exhibited at The Whitney Museum in NY. So, anyway.
I sent a fan e-mail to Borofsky to let him know I was making my own version of his ‘Age Piece’. In my message I asked him if he could recall how he felt when he made it, if he thought that his best work was behind him or in front of him. And he actually responded to me: “I’ve rarely had pessimistic or optimistic views as to how my work might proceed into the future. It has always seemed to me that I’m just caught in the flow of a river – sometimes a bumpy ride – and sometimes smooth sailing.”
Age 15: Trapped, Torn and Empty (etching)
Age19: Sex Toys (Soft sculptures)
Age 20: Male Nude (Oil on canvas)
Age 23: Living with Liberation (mixed media installation segment)
Age 25-28: TV showing ‘Our Bodies, Ourselves, 2003 / Consciousness, Understanding ‘N’ Trust, 2004 / 3 Into 1, 2004 / All My Life, 2007
Age 31: Rope piece reenactment in ‘Ties That Bind’ (performance documentation)
Age 40: PhD Thesis
Collaged images on foam board, 84 cm x 22 cm
Ink on foam board