The Brooklyn Rail

OCT 2016

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OCT 2016 Issue
ArtSeen

Occupy Peace

Lynda Benglis, THE FALL CAUGHT, 2016. Aluminum. 170 × 85 × 96 inches. © Lynda Benglis/Licensed by VAGA, New York. Courtesy Cheim & Read, New York.
On View
Cheim Read
September 8 – October 22, 2016
New York



 

Vested Spirit anchors,
Scudder Flip floats.
Skins, fragile yet resilient, caress,
Stretch, wrap, suspend,
Covered with Attitude.
Constant airflow underneath
Generates warmth above—
Some are kites flying high in the autumn sky,
Others are lanterns lit in celebration of Vedic Sanskrit.
Thin-skinned leaf, lymphatic vessels,
Lukewarm, twisted and turned,
Shedding reptile skin, transporting nutrients,
Bent gently at a particular speed,
Bleached by desert blaze,
Feminine Fork, Hinged Fern, Fan Farinade, Woopee
Were made with resolute tenacity and pleasure.

In every instance, the language of action is
Effortlessly spelled out.
The A-B-C of tactile transference manifests
Unmitigated exuberance.
Her landmark glitter sparkles the Sparkle Devil.
Soaring rhythm, morning stars,
Flying mushrooms, Sparkle Flag Fern, chicken wire,
Dividing colors, Magic Growth, or Something Else.
Trembling vocals, orchestrated symphony, all channeling
Sappho’s lyrical aptitude.
It is The Catalogue of Women that made Hesiod immortal.
Cosmogony is seen in the sacred stone.
Elephant Necklace bestows the flame of eternal fire.

Without elevation, melted by the sun,
She leans regally against the wall and ever so gently
Touches the shiny floor.
The Winged Victory of Samothrace is folded once and for all.
In the near distance, the Battle of Salamis is still echoing.
But here she emphatically follows her civil disobedience.
War no more.

 

 

Contributor

Phong Bui

Phong H. Bui is the Publisher and Artistic Director of the Brooklyn Rail.

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The Brooklyn Rail

OCT 2016

All Issues