Photos by Dan Bradica
CHART is pleased to present our upcoming exhibition, JARED BARK: STACKS. Best known for his experimental photobooth assemblages from the 60’s and 70’s, Bark will debut this new body of sculptural work culled from stacked books, drawing inspiration from nature, personal history, and the aesthetics of chance. Returning to a full-time studio practice in 2012, he began utilizing books as an object to be reappropriated. Using various actions to manipulate the books, Bark expands the physical properties of the material, all while operating under a self-imposed set of limitations. Ranging in height from five to ten feet, some are presented straightforwardly while others are more abstracted. His most recent iteration of these stacks, called “Cants”, are a metaphoric reference to a squared timber sawn from a whole log on a sawmill. In these works, the stacks are milled on all four sides, removing any evidence of the original object. Bark is beholden to chance, allowing the irregularities in the books and saw blade to dictate the final outcome. The resulting surfaces evoke geological formations, recall Classical architecture, and hint at painterly abstraction. This is Bark’s longest series to date.