COYNE, Petah
Petah Coyne was commissioned to create a sculptural installation for the stairwell in the Wintergarden. A mesmerizing wonderland envelops the space. Reminiscent of a haunted ballroom, the stairwell is filled with sculptures comprised of white and pastel-tinted wax drippings over arrangements of ribbons, lace, flowers and other debris. The shapes float somewhere between abstraction and figuration. Images of wedding gowns and cakes, church bells, birdcages, ballerina uniforms and bonnets are conjured up. These heavily encrusted extinguished candles resembling wax chandeliers, are unabashedly seductive. They are at once massive and yet delicate. "It evokes all the clichés of "true romance"- bouquets of roses, songbirds, ballet skirts, trailing ribbons, and towering wedding cakes, all turned ghostly by pale layers of wax." Coyne uses as many as 75 layers of specially formulated wax over armatures so that the works are durable and resistant to changes in temperature while appearing malleable and flexible. The chains from which the sculptures are suspended are covered in elegant white satin. A visual drama of almost operatic proportions unfolds. The viewer is compelled to question these extravagant sculptures resulting in innumerable interpretations. "Coyne has tapped into powerful ambiguities in which unease and enchantment are linked, much as they are in fairy tales." At times, the work is viewed as celebratory and has the appearance of "madly joyous wedding chimes". Yet, one writer states, "The celebration is over (the candles are put out), or perhaps the preparations were made yet it never happened; we are left with a haunting but unspecified sense of loss." What is most clear is that these sculptures, with their telling belabored execution, are the result of the artist's devout understanding and love of materials. Petah Coyne was born in 1953, in Oklahoma City, OK. She has had solo exhibitions at: The Cleveland Center for Contemporary Art, OH; Sculpture Center, NY; Southeastern Massachusetts University, MA and had a "Grand Lobby Installation" at the Brooklyn Museum, NY. She has been included in group exhibitions at galleries and arts institutions worldwide. Coyne is the recipient of numerous awards including a National Endowment for the Arts Award and Fellowship. Her work is included in the collections of: Whitney Museum of American Art, NY; San Diego Museum of Contemporary Art, CA; Museum of Modern Art, NY; Brooklyn Museum, NY; among others. 1994.047