Images courtesy of barbarakasten.net Words by Elizabeth Pollard
Artist Barbara Kasten’s work falls somewhere between sculpture and photography, although she trained as a painter in the late 1950s. Her work has shifted through every medium imaginable, over her impressive career, spanning over six decades.
Kansten’s work was brought to my attention, after seeing her 1980’s series, Construct. The geometric shapes in the photographs create beautiful abstract forms, which are given depth by the use of perspex, mirror and glass. Originally, a series of polaroids, over the course of the five part series, her work develops in both medium and aesthetic, using light, projection and 3D shape.
In her latest works, her aesthetic has darkened to produce mostly monochromatic installations. Whilst still working with geometric form, Kansten’s later work is much more concerned with light and texture; stripping it’s concept to its most pure form.
1979 Construct
1982 Construct
1983 Construct
1984 Construct
2009 Incidence
2010 Incidence