| Sculpture July-August 1995 | |
 Allan McCollum Natural Copies from the Coal Mines of Central Utah, 1994-1995. Enamel on Polymer- reinforced gypsum. |
Allan McCollum's adoption of the issue of multiplicity and uniqueness has, at
times, led him to engage in some repetition of his own. And yet, just when
one's tiring of the whole enterprise, he inevitably unearths a new twist to
pique the viewer's interest. "Natural Copies," his recent show at John Weber
Gallery, featured casts of dinosaur footprints of various sizes and colors,
laid out like the inventory of a gift shop at an archaeological dig. While
lacking the emotional kick of the Pompeian dog he used previously, this new
work still ranks among his strongest shows. In part, this is because of his
emphasis on process: the imprints are accompanied by stacks of xeroxed pages
describing the casting process (the molds were derived from the ceilings of
coal mines in Utah). Printed on festive multicolored paper echoing the
artifacts, the descriptive information exists as both a singular truth and as a
cloned memento, like the footprints. And while the idea of using huge extinct
creatures as reproducible multiples hints at a Jurassic Park dystopia, it also
conversely confirms their tragic singularity. (The fact that their shape must
be gleaned through their foot prints provides a nice detective-story impetus to
the imagination). But it is the shape itself--the abstract three-pronged
imprint, recalling a simple leaf, a primitive totem or arrowhead, or a crude
carving of a cross or heart--that elevates this work to another level. More
than in his other works, this template engages the viewer as a tactile
sculptural object, and provides a compelling example of appropriated
abstraction (as well as a sly meditation on the uniqueness of the abstract
gesture). McCollum may be moving forward with the ambling gait of a
brachiosaurus rather than the brash stride of a velociraptor, but the relics he
leaves behind are still highly thought-provoking. George Melrod |