Bodies Of Work

Bodies Of Work

Oct 6–29, 2011

October 6 – October 29, 2011
Gallery 4

Featuring John Webb

John Webb’s education includes a Bachelor of Arts in Visual Art from the University of Bridgeport, 1987. He received a Masters of Architecture degree from U.C.L.A. in 1991. He is scheduled to receive a Masters of Fine Arts degree in Studio Art with an emphasis in Sculpture from U.T.S.A. in December 2011. John is a sculptor, as well as a registered, practicing architect. He is a member of the faculty of the College of Architecture at U.T.S.A.

Bodies of Work

The sculptures exhibited here are part of a series of works in which Webb combines elements of the human figure with mechanical components. The obvious function and logic of these industrial age machines is visible and understandable. During the industrial age these machines were designed to ‘pick up’ where the human body ‘left off’ in terms of work capacity and capability. Most of these industrial machines were designed as natural extensions of the human anatomy. In contrast to the obvious ‘workings’ of these industrial age machines, the ‘workings’ of today’s digital age machines are mostly invisible to most people.

In each of these sculptures, fragments of the human figure (in poses referring to well known art historical masterpieces) combine and contrast with machine components. This combination of classical human form and raw mechanical machinery produces a composition with associations to beauty, work, and a ‘body of knowledge’ that we as humans share in the fabric of our collective memory.

The full series of recent sculptures, as well as selected works from previous series, will be exhibited at John Webb’s Master of Fine Arts Thesis Exhibition at Blue Star LAB.