Minimalist Metal: Sardi and Larsen

Ted Larsen, Hierarchical Stature, Mixed Media, 35” x 30” x 2”. Courtesy of the artist and Pan American Art Projects.

Pan American Art Projects

March 13 - April 17, 2010

Pan American Art Projects has brought together two artists with a minimal aesthetic. Carolina Sardi and Ted Larsen come from different traditions but share a like-minded approach to their art. Each offer understated metal sculptures in a joint exhibition at the gallery from March 13 - April 17.

Carolina Sardi’s wall installations, often titled Associations, make precise use of formal artistic elements that manage to resonate beyond aestheticism. Even though her sculptures are made of tough steel, they still maintain a natural, organic feel. The work in Sardi’s latest series, Constellations, delicately traces celestial paths. The Calder-like sculptures are a departure from her previous series of colorful, free-flowing installations. Even though these new works are made of single pieces, rather than a compilation of shapes, they are able to suggest the mobility of shooting stars.

Born and raised in Argentina, Sardi earned her Master’s Degree in Sculpture at the National University of La Plata, where she also studied architecture and urbanism with the artist Enio Iommi. Carolina has been living and working in Miami since 1995.

Ted Larsen, a former landscape artist, began working with salvaged metal in 2000. His experimentation with this media resulted in self-referential works that speak little to the object they once were. In his latest series, Larsen explores the importance of the individual as a component of the whole. He has translated this internal dialogue into works like Volume Control, a wall sculpture comprised of small boxes arranged in a maze-like pattern. The work encourages the viewer to break down the sculpture into its basic components, to retrace the artist’s process.

Born in Southaven, Michigan, Larsen graduated with a Bachelor of Arts from Northern Arizona University. He currently lives and works in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

For further information, www.panamericanart.com