Stacked Waters by Teresita Fernández
Art is transformative.
Stacked Waters, 2009, cast acrylic site-specific installation by Teresita Fernández, Commissioned by the Blanton Museum of Art, Gift of Jeanne and Michael Klein, Photo by Rick Hall
The Blanton Museum of Art is pleased to announce a major acquisition to its collection of American and contemporary art. Commissioned by the Blanton, renowned artist Teresita Fernández has transformed the museum's Rapoport Atrium with her installation titled Stacked Waters. The two–story, site specific work was generously underwritten by Jeanne and Michael Klein of Austin, and purchased in conjunction with The 2009 Blanton Museum Gala, Essence of Cool: Honoring Jack Blanton, Sr., held on January 31.
Stacked Waters consists of 3,100 square feet of custom–cast acrylic that covers the cavernous atrium walls in a striped blue pattern resembling water. Horizontal bands of saturated color shift and fade from deep blue to white in varying gradations. The title of the work is a nod to Donald Judd's stacked pieces, and his exploration of box interiors. (The Blanton atrium functions similarly, suggesting a container.) Utilizing the natural light afforded by the space's many skylights, the work will appear as a mirror, reflecting the activity of museum visitors and becoming what the artist refers to as, “a changing portrait of Texas light…”
Fernández has emerged as a major player in the contemporary art scene, with an impressive history of national and international exhibitions and awards. The addition of this new work affirms the Blanton's commitment to assembling a world–class collection of contemporary works by internationally recognized artists.
ABOUT THE ARTIST:
Teresita Fernández
A recipient of the coveted MacArthur Foundation Fellowship in 2005, Fernández is one of the most accomplished artists of her generation and is known for her evocative large–scale sculptures and immersive installations that address space, light and perception. She lives and works in Brooklyn, NY and is represented by Lehmann Maupin Gallery. Recent commissions include Seattle Cloud Cover for the Olympic Sculpture Park at the Seattle Art Museum, a work for the Public Art Fund in 2001 and a special project at The Museum of Modern Art in New York in 2000. She has had solo exhibitions at many prestigious institutions including the Fabric Workshop and Museum in Philadelphia; SITE Santa Fe in New Mexico; the Institute of Contemporary Art in Philadelphia; the Corcoran Gallery in Washington, D.C.; the Castello di Rivoli in Turin, Italy; and most recently, at the Centro de Arte Contemporaneo de Malaga in Spain.
