Tom Otterness
born 1952, Wichita, KS
works in New York, NY
All works bronze, Lent by the Artist, Courtesy Marlborough Gallery, New York, NY (left to right)
Computer Pile, 1996, ed. 1/6, 43" x 30" x 43"
Computer Beaver, 1997, ed. 1/6, 23" x 34" x 28"
Cellular Beaver, 1996, ed. 3/6, 43" x 30" x 43"
Tom Otterness is celebrated for his unique contributions to contemporary public sculpture, issuing cautionary yet humorous commentaries on society, politics, and commerce. His use of "cute" animals and ordinarily inanimate objects as protagonists adds an absurdist edge and wise-cracking compassion to his critiques, while helping to reveal truths that straight representation might obscure.
These three sculptural narratives are infused with messages about human behavior and what Otterness has dubbed the "rituals of capitalism,"—our pervasive embrace of and escalating reliance on new gadgets and the promise of technology. Cast bronze, traditionally reserved for monumental sculpture, accentuates the clear, cartoon gestures. The artist's choice of beavers knowingly plays on the associations these animals carry: busy, eager, focused, dependable. Meanwhile, the scientific jury is still out as to whether beavers are blessed with a keen, adaptable intellect, or are merely slaves to instinct. Certainly, Otterness' homely-looking beaver people all seem caught up in the hectic, mindless pace of the modern workday: their suits may be urban, but their drone-like behavior is hardly urbane.
These sculptures were originally conceived as part of a much larger federal public art commission installed in 1997 at the Mark O. Hatfield United States Courthouse in Portland, Oregon.
