R E V I E W E D
S u e A y g a r n -
K o w a ls k i:
S t r ik in g
a B a la n c e
Mobilia Gallery
Cambridge, MA
Feb. 2-27,2010
mobilia-galleiy.com
By Christine Temin
If I had a hammer, I’d make sure it was one
by Sue Aygarn-Kowalski. Her work is ex-
quisitely crafted sculpture, but much of it is
also tools designed to function, whether it
be for pounding a chicken cutlet or banging
a nail into the wall. The 20 Striking Tools in
this exhibition were made of opulent mate-
rials: exotic woods like yellowheart, pur-
pleheart, cocobolo, pink ivory wood and
ebony; and metals including brass, copper
and sterling silver. Their individual designs
were lavish, with stripes and spirals the
motifs of choice. The horizontal stripes in
boldly contrasting colors reminded me of
the exterior of the cathedral in Siena. There
was also a hammer with scalloped edges on
the handle that made it particularly satisfy-
ing to hold. And you could hold things at
this show. Touching is the point. The sheer
weight of the hammers was gratifying. These
are tools that could do the job if you could
bear to get them messy before displaying
them as art.
Aygarn-Kowalski also fashions works
out of steel railroad spikes that, with their
gorgeously weathered textures, carry histo-
ries with them that her brand-new hammers
can’t. The shape vocabularies are akin to
those in the hammers, with twists and curli-
cues, everything implying some sort of mo-
tion. The function of some of these works
is obscure, inviting the viewer to invent
one. A few of them might very well make
excellent cheese knives.
Among the largest and most elaborate
pieces in the show were a teapot in the form
of an anvil; a level made of teak, pine, sil-
ver, brass and steel; and a copper and ster-
ling
Balance,
a measuring device surely fit
for a palace.
Aygarn-Kowalski definitely has a sense
of humor. Consider
Guy
and
Stella,
among
the most precious works in the show.
Guy,
made of brass, copper, sterling silver and
steel, is wearing a brownish metal suit at-
tached with tiny nails. At hip level he wears
a belt with a carrier for another tool, in this
case a nail.
Stella,
of brass and sterling silver
with a head like an overgrown acorn and a
ruffled silver bonnet and dress is a riot. She
looks uppity. Were you to use this “diva”
as a hammer you’d better have a clear idea
what you wanted—otherwise, she’d defi-
nitely get the upper hand, even though she
hasn’t
got
a hand. ♦
Christine Temin, formerly chief art critic
for the
Boston Globe
until2005, now writes
on the arts for numerous publications.
Left:
G u y , S p rin g -lo a d e d ce n -
te r-p u n c h ,
2003,bronze,
copper, steel, sterling
silver, lathe-turned,
hand-finished, roller-
printed screen patterns,
rivet and tap and die
button construction,
7X1У4Х1У4ІП.
Right:
Striking Tools, 2008-
2010, materials include
brass, silver, Delrin,
steel, nylon, yellow-
heart, purplehcart
and cocobolo woods,
largest 13 X2V4X2V4.
034 american craft apr/mayio
Photos by Dean Powell.
