Jedd Novatt Chaos Bizkaia 2012

Identification
Title
Chaos Bizkaia
Production Date
2012
Object Number
2013.1
Credit Line
Collection Pérez Art Museum Miami, in loving memory of Sash A. Spencer from his wife Mary
Copyright
© Jedd Novatt 
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Physical Qualities
Medium
Bronze
Dimensions
220 x 114 x 118 inches
Visual Description
Chaos Bizkaia is a large sculpture made by Jed Novatt in 2012. It is made of bronze. It measures 18 feet in height, 10 feet in width, and 10 feet in length. Its longest dimension is vertical. It is an abstract work of art, meaning it does not directly represent or copy anything from nature. The sculpture is composed of three large open metal cubes stacked vertically on top of each other in an unlikely pose. The cubes are not solid blocks but are only frames that are hollow or empty on the inside. The skeletal framework is made of thick, linear, bronze metal beams. The sculpture is largely composed of negative space, meaning its volume or interior is empty, allowing air, light, sight, and solid form to pass through it. The cubes are stacked vertically, but not symmetrically on top of each other. They appear to teeter, twist, and lean in a precarious upwards motion, as though they were about to fall over. Each Cube is askew in relation to the one above or below it, creating a sense of movement and imbalance. The bottom cube is the most firmly rooted; its horizontal edges run almost parallel to the ground. Above it, the second cube leans to the side slightly, pulling its weight off the center. The topmost cube leans even further away from vertical alignment, going in the opposite direction of the second cube, and topping the sculpture off with a dramatic gravity-defying lean. The overall effect is one of tension, as though the whole structure could seemingly topple at any moment yet remains frozen in this improbable balance.
Jedd Novatt

Jedd Novatt

b. 1958, New York; lives in Paris

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