The art of Albert Paley at Grounds for Sculpture in Hamilton

"Soft," "organic" and "flowing" are not words typically associated with steel, but artist Albert Paley evokes them with his often larger-than-life sculptures in the exhibit "Dialogue with Steel," which was showing through April 18 at Grounds for Sculpture in Hamilton, NJ.The exhibit showcased Albert Paley's career from 1980 to the present. In addition to the sculptures themselves, the exhibit featured Paley's preliminary sketches of sculptures placed next to finished pieces to allow the viewer insight into the artist's development of his creative ideas.

Paley's sculptures big and small immediately strike viewers with the fluidity achieved in spite of working with a typically rigid, inorganic medium. According to Paley's artist statement, he achieves this perceived motion through "manipulation of the steel, either through the forging process or heat bending," which later "constitutes an organic context in form development."

In challenging the nature of steel to seemingly bend at his will, Paley also challenges the viewer to reconsider the thought of hard metal as rigid and unyielding. Discussing his view of the medium in which he works, Paley writes, "Metal has its own language, symmetry, dynamism and movement. Art has the ability to introduce a human dimension to the environment."

The largest piece on display was Paley's 2009 sculpture Portal. A Grounds for Sculpture staffer, who asked to remain anonymous because of public relations restrictions, said that Portal was "so big, it was the only piece that didn't fit" in the indoor museum space. He said, "It had to stay outside. It'll be easy to find." Standing at five times the height of the average man, the immense sculpture stood out among the Grounds' permanent art scattered about the outdoor space.

Portal is a study of geometric form juxtaposed with flowing bands of metal reaching skyward. Paley says, "When these two aspects are incorporated into the sculpture, they represent the spectrum of opposites, yet at the same time unification is accomplished within the composition of the sculpture. This makes visible the nature of paradox."

Sylvan, which was housed in the indoor museum, is 20 feet tall and has an abstract foundation of an immense rust colored spike surrounded by a bright blue steel ribbon spiraling upward. Lemon yellow fronds of metal emerge from the spike, bent as if they were blowing in the wind. "It's amazing," said museum patron Susan Craig of Hamilton Township. "It looks almost tropical."

In contrast to Sylvan, the piece Elephants with Birds has a more realistic feel to it, but seems no less organic than its larger counterpart. Depicting an elephaProxy-Connection: keep-alive
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nestled within the flowing wings of various birds. The steel has been treated to look more like polished teak wood than metal. The transformation of hard metal into what looks like something intricately carved from the trunk of a tree showcases Paley's unique talent of changing the elemental nature of steel to the viewer.

Paley is a native Philadelphian whose work has been included in more than one hundred shows all over the world. His pieces are also housed in permanent collections in the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, the British Museum in London and the Metropolitan Museum in New York City.

Paley began his artistic career more than 30 years ago as a jeweler, but is now best known for his massive sculptures, many of which were on display at Grounds for Sculpture.

Currently showing at Grounds for Sculpture through September are two new exhibits. Bold and colorful pop-art sculptures by Keith Haring explore themes of life and death while the environmental sculptures of Chakaia Booker, made out of recycled rubber tires, evoke powerful abstract forms. Grounds for Sculpture is located at 18 Fairgrounds Road in Hamilton, NJ. Hours of operation are Tuesday-Sunday, 10am-6pm. Regular admission price is $10 per person, with students receiving a $2 discount with ID.