Myth-Maker
Alexander Wolf explores the economic, social, and methodological concerns of Piero Golia’s art practice, revealing the real-world implications of the artist’s experiments with form and process.
People always think I’m joking. But I am a serious man.
—Piero Golia
Gagosian is pleased to present an exhibition by Piero Golia.
Golia is a sculptor of situations. His works—at times architecturally scaled, at others elusive or immaterial—are statements aimed at expanding the boundaries of art. His practice is heterogeneous and unpredictable, employing diverse mediums and methods to spark chain reactions that, even when they leave no objects or images behind, have the capacity to alter our perception.
In 2003, after his involvement in a car accident that threw him into debt, Golia took the remains of his 1984 Saab, melted them down, and recast them into a glossy black unicorn. Five years later, he responded to the standardized format of the art-fair booth by compressing a 10-meter-long passenger bus into the 6-meter width of the assigned space, filling it completely. In 2010, he installed a sculpture atop the roof of the Standard Hotel on Sunset Boulevard—a mysterious orb, Luminous Sphere, which lit up whenever he was in town.
Alexander Wolf explores the economic, social, and methodological concerns of Piero Golia’s art practice, revealing the real-world implications of the artist’s experiments with form and process.
The Fall 2019 issue of Gagosian Quarterly is now available, featuring a detail from Sinking (2019) by Nathaniel Mary Quinn on its cover.
Andrew Berardini reflects on Piero Golia’s Intermission Paintings, relics from the first phase of the artist’s three-part sculptural performance The Comedy of Craft.