Sterling Ruby
b. 1972, Germany
Scale (5167), 2014
Steel, paint, wood, cardboard, yarn and mixed media
292.1 x 172.7 x 144.8 cm
Assemblages are a significant aspect of Sterling Ruby’s oeuvre. They adeptly embody the signature aspects of his practice, encompassing his multifaceted, manic and visceral approach towards creating works that tackle a variety of societal issues and draw upon personal experiences. These assemblages simultaneously contain and oscillate between the extremes of fluidity and statis, pristine and defaced, as well as minimalism and maximalism.
In the case of SCALE (5167), the work is a larger-than-life manifestation of a collage, featuring monochrome shapes juxtaposed against scraps of various materials and objects. Through these balancing scales, Ruby invites the viewer to form their own opinions on the values of the objects that are suspended midair, initiating conversations that reflect complex nuances and perspectives.
Sterling Ruby (b. 1972, Germany)
Sterling Ruby is a multifaceted American artist who freely moves between the worlds of textile, ceramics, painting, drawing, sculpture-assemblages and digital media. His works are a rejection of minimalism, often presenting as dense assemblages of various items. He draws reference from autobiographical, geographical, historical, contemporary and socio-economic sources, creating manic and politically-charged works that, according to him, are a “visual description” of the world as he sees and experiences it.
Ruby attained his BFA from the School of the Art Institute Chicago, and his MFA from the ArtCenter College of Design. His work resides in public collections including the Guggenheim New York, Whitney Museum of American Art New York, and Tate Modern London.
