By Ian Lockwood
Staff Writer
LACMA’s “Myth of Singularity” by Liz Glynn is a captivating and intriguing collection of sculptures with unique characters and textures.
“Myth of Singularity” presents a fascinating compilation of sculptures with a variety of textures in obscure rearrangments of the human body. Despite the evident talent shown in the sculptures, the pieces being placed in various areas of LACMA’s campus diminishes the overall experience of the exhibit.
“The Myth of Singularity,” a collection of eight bronze scultpures, opened at Los Angeles County Museum of Art on Halloween. Glynn is a Los Angeles based artist who produced the sculptures from plaster props during her performance at LACMA in 2013 where she worked in LACMA’s B. Gerald Cantor Sculpture Garden for two days with the assistance of ten other sculptures to recreate the work of French artist Auguste Rodin.
Glynn has conducted research on the works of several famous artists and uses this knowledge to create her own work. The exhibit is Glynn’s interpretation of Rodin’s art where she adds her own creative twist to the statues. The sculptures can be found around LACMA’s campus on the Cantor Garden Stairs, Resnick Pavilion entrance, Resnick Pavilion East Lawn, and the European Art Impressionism Gallery.
Glynn recreated a similar look but Rodin’s are very even, round, and realistic, which he is known for replicating an accurate depiction of the human body. Glynn’s sculptures may be inspired by Rodin’s works, but Glynn takes a different approach with uneven textures and rearranged structure of the human body.
Each piece is unique and utilizes a multitude of textures. The different textures express the imperfections of the human body and Glynn’s intricate style of sculpting that bring the artwork to life. Some of the sculptures are imitations of Rodin’s art, while others include Glynn’s own twist to the artwork such as the recombination of several parts from different pieces into one sculpture.
The sculptures are all configurations of the human body, but each sculpture is unique in its own way. Most of the pieces are rearranged human bodies with emotional faces and figurations that create feelings of grief and despair. For example, “Burgher with Frock Coat,” displays an old hunched over man in a robe, a compelling and unique sculpture that shows man in distress.
One of the more negative parts of the exhibit is the minimal amount of background information about the exhibit. There is no real in-depth background of the artist or the sculptures, which made it difficult to connect with the artist and to see where her work and ideas came from.
Unfortunately, the exhibit has a confusing display due to the eight pieces being in four different places on LACMA’s campus. Although the placing of the sculptures can be found online, most of LACMA’s staff was unaware of where some of the statues were, which made viewing all of the artworks difficult and confusing.
“The Myth of Singularity,” besides its chaotic display, is a compelling exhibit with Glynn’s creation of unique characters, uneven textures, and recreation of Rodin’s art but with an unusual and creative twist.
Glynn’s “The Myth of Singularity,” opened on October 31, 2016 and will be on display until May 22, 2016. It is included with general admission.
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