Gay and God: Walter Robinson on the Perverse Art of Robert Gober
NEW YORK OBSERVER
By Walter Robinson
NEW YORK---Is any artwork sadder than a sink by Robert Gober? Mr. Gober’s art invites just that kind of metaphorical reading, regardless of any denial that might be implicit in the show’s title. It is an art of mourning and, arguably, one that reflects a specifically homosexual experience. Mr. Gober has given the source of the image of a white porcelain sink as both a childhood memory and a dream, and has spoken of using in his work images that “haunt” him—an approach that admits autobiography and trauma. Before the AIDS crisis, gay liberation had included a lively cultural and sexual renaissance located in New York communal baths, which were of course shut down by city health authorities after the health emergency got under way. Overall, the show is both spare and elegant, and easy to take in. [link]
By Walter Robinson
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| Robert Gober’s Untitled, 1992, from “The Heart Is Not A Metaphor” at the Museum of Modern Art. (Courtesy MoMA) |
