Askew

Roxy Paine is a contemporary American artist and sculptor who lives and works in New York. Askew is part of his series of stainless steel sculptures that he calls dendroids. This term describes treelike forms with elaborate branching structures. The artist’s fascination with dendroids began when he was studying the growth patterns in nature, the brain, and the nervous system. His sculptures are inspired by real trees, but they do not depict actual species of trees. 

Askew is almost 47 feet tall and stands beside the NCMA’s West Building. The small differences in its branches make this sculpture look like something that grows in nature rather than something that was built by humans and machines. Because this sculpture is made from stainless steel, its surface is highly reflective. It changes dramatically depending on the time of day and the brightness of the sun.

Paine’s installations often represent the conflict between what is natural and what is artificial. He has described his work as “a collision of the industrial world with the natural world.” To create his art, Paine often uses the same industrial materials that are used to build pipelines and factories.

I’ve processed the idea of a tree and created a system for its form. I take this organic majestic being and break it down into components and rules. The branches are translated into pipe and rod.

Roxy Paine

The installation of Askew was challenging. The sculpture arrived at the NCMA in several pieces. The crew assembled it, lifted the sculpture with a crane, and realized that the base would not properly support the sculpture. The base had to be adjusted while the sculpture hung in mid air for 24 hours. When the sculpture was secured in place, Paine and his team welded the remaining branches. 

tags: perception, reflection, variation, seasons, environmental science, biology