Twenty-five years is a long time to wait for a major retrospective on home turf, but for American artist Chris Burden, the delay appears to be well worth it. The pioneering artist, who has enjoyed a prolific career spanning 40 years, is the centre of a major exhibition 'Extreme Measures' at New York's New Museum, quarter of a decade since his last big US show. Bringing together an extensive collection of past and present works that encompass sculpture, video, performance and installation, the exhibition is an inspiring homage to the enigmatic artist and is set to throw him back into the fore.
Taking over all of the New Museum's five floors, 'Extreme Measures' is a demonstration of Burden's dexterity in working with different media. From kinetic sculptures like 'The Big Wheel' from 1979, which consists of a three-ton spinning flywheel powered by a 1968 Benelli 250cc motorcycle, to the performance piece 'Beam Drop' and its iterations in more recent works like 'Inhotim' and 'Antwerp' - all see 60 steel I-beams dropped into an excavation site filled with wet cement from over 100 feet high - the arresting works are powerful manifestations of Burden's thematic explorations, which touch on engineering, politics, authority and the military, among other themes.
While the kinetic works are undoubtedly dramatic, it is Burden's knack for installations that is truly wondrous. 'All the Submarines of the United States of America' from 1987, for example, comprises 625 miniature submarines hanging by thin microfilaments from the ceiling. Each cardboard model corresponds to every US Navy submarine launched from 1897 to the year it was created. Across the room, a sprawling diorama made up of five thousand toy robots, vehicles and figures depict two cities at war in a sandy, rocky landscape - again serving as critical commentary for military authority.
Burden's newly unveiled works - two intricate, yet mammoth depictions of bridges made from concrete and Mysto Type I Erector parts respectively - also make the most of this life-like quality. Both constructions spread comfortably hinting back at Burden's study of architecture back in college.
Capping off the show (literally) is another installation on top of the New Museum building. Twin aluminium-frame skyscrapers, resembling the World Trade Centre towers and weighing 8,100 lbs each, stand majestically on the building's room, proving that time has done little to quell Burden's ambitious spirit. For that, we are grateful.
'Ghost Ship', 2005, is also docked on the facade of the museum. Courtesy New Museum, New York.
Inside the museum, a video installation charts the original 400-mile semi-autonomous journey undertaken by the 'Ghost Ship' from Fair Isle to the mouth of the Tyne River in Britain. Courtesy New Museum, New York.
Burden's newly unveiled works for the show include two intricate bridge constructions. Pictured is 'Triple 21 Foot Truss Bridge', 2013. Courtesy New Museum, New York
'Three Arch Dry Stack Bridge, 1/4 Scale', 2013, a mortar-less bridge held together purely by gravity. Courtesy New Museum, New York.
Past works in the retrospective include: 'The Big Wheel', 1979. Collection The Museum of Contemporary Art Collection, Los Angeles
'All the Submarines of the United States of America', 1987, comprises 625 miniature cardboard submarines. Courtesy New Museum, New York.
'Mexican Bridge', 1998. Courtesy New Museum, New York.
Installation view of 'Extreme Measures'. Courtesy New Museum, New York.
'Tower of Power', 1985. Courtesy New Museum, New York.
'A Tale of Two Cities', 1981. Courtesy New Museum, New York.
The installation is comprised of two miniature cities made from approximately five thousand toys, sand, plants, and boulders. Courtesy New Museum, New York
'L.A.P.D. Uniforms', 1993. Courtesy New Museum, New York.
'The Rant', 2006. Courtesy New Museum, New York.
'Beam Drop', 1984, Art Park, Lewiston, NY.
'1 Ton Crane Truck', 2009.
'Full Financial Disclosure', 1977. Los Angeles, California
'Dos Equis', 1972.
ADDRESS
New Museum
235 Bowery
New York 10002
-
Inside a Montana house, putting the American West's landscape at its heartA holiday house in the Montana mountains, designed by Walker Warner Architects and Gachot Studios, scales new heights to create a fresh perspective on communing with the natural landscape
-
'You can feel their presence': step inside the Eames' Pacific Palisades residenceCharles and Ray Eames’ descendants are exploring new ways to preserve the designers’ legacy, as the couple’s masterpiece Pacific Palisades residence reopens following the recent LA fires
-
The great American museum boomNine of the world’s top ten most expensive, recently announced cultural projects are in the US. What is driving this investment, and is this statistic sustainable?
-
‘Her pictures looked like pictures everybody knew were the truth’: Diane Arbus at the ArmoryMatthieu Humery curates more than 400 of Arbus’ photographs at New York’s Park Avenue Armory – every picture she was known to have printed
-
Mystic, feminine and erotic: the power of Penny Slinger’s bodies as landscapeArtist Penny Slinger continues her exploration of the sacred, surreal feminine in a Santa Monica exhibition, ‘Meeting at the Horizon’
-
Out of office: the Wallpaper* editors’ picks of the weekIt was a jam-packed week for the Wallpaper* staff, entailing furniture, tech and music launches and lots of good food – from afternoon tea to omakase
-
Out of office: what the Wallpaper* editors have been up to this weekThis week saw the Wallpaper* team jet-setting to Jordan and New York; those of us left in London had to make do with being transported via the power of music at rooftop bars, live sets and hologram performances
-
Photographer Geordie Wood takes a leap of faith with first film, DiversGeordie Wood delved into the world of professional diving in Fort Lauderdale for his first film
-
New book celebrates 100 years of New York City landmarks where LGBTQ+ history took placeMarc Zinaman’s ‘Queer Happened Here: 100 Years of NYC’s Landmark LGBTQ+ Places’ is a vital tribute to queer culture
-
A major Takashi Murakami exhibition sees the world in kaleidoscopic colourThe Cleveland Art Museum presents 'Takashi Murakami 'Stepping on the Tail of a Rainbow', exploring outrage and escapist fantasy
-
Ai Weiwei’s new public installation is coming soon to Four Freedoms State Park‘Camouflage’ by Ai Weiwei will launch the inaugural Art X Freedom project in September 2025, a new programme to investigate social justice and freedom
