Pyramidal Keyhole Sculpture

Wooden boards, each layer nailed and glued, 21.25 H x 11.25 W x 11.25 in, 9.1 kg. This piece came as my fascination with the silent monumentality of Louis Kahn's architecture. It was presented at my solo show 'TX-Keyholes' in 2009. TX-Keyholes Djordje Aralica created the pieces in the present exhibition during the fall of 2008 while residing in Sherman, Texas. The thematic link between the works—keyholes—follows the concept of ‘gates’ that he explored in a previous exhibition, and springs from his experience as a transplant in the United States from his native Serbia. While the two groups of works share the idea of crossing a threshold into a different, guarded space, in the present works Djordje focuses on the means of entry, which may be constricted, difficult to unlock, and through which the yearning entrant’s eye may surreptitiously peer. Like an architect, Djordje manipulates symmetry and geometry in his compositions, and his solids and voids suggest steps, arches, portals and windows. The mathematical calculation implied by his designs assures the viewer of architectonic solidity as much as the asphalt-colored surface. Though restful, the works also suggest recent movement: blocks or slabs appear to have been cut out and rotated or repositioned, a whole structure may seem to have been twisted on its main axis, and subtle asymmetries would seem to have resulted from pushing or prying apart. From the straight lines, rigidity and regular dimensions of his starting material, wooden boards, Djordje has been able to coax out a remarkable variety of curved planes and contours, the latter obvious along corners but also implied by the shapes produced by juxtaposed boards. The tension inherent to reconciling contrasts of rest and movement and of rectilinear and undulating lines creates a lasting interest in Djordje’s sculpture. Dr. Jeffrey Fontana Assistant Professor of Art History