Santa Fe, NM
Dominique Boisjoli Fine Art, May 24-31
Chris Turri, Lunar Council, steel/copper, 72 x 35 x 29.
This story was featured in the May 2019 issue of Southwest Art magazine. Get the Southwest Art May 2019 print issue or digital download now–then subscribe to Southwest Art and never miss another story.
WHEN Corrales, NM, artist Chris Turri began sculpting full time 15 years ago, he focused on creating colorless metal totems. As his creative process evolved, however, Turri started to incorporate reclaimed painted metals in his sculptures, and as he did, nuanced layers of personality, history, and color emerged. As many as 20 new works by the artist are unveiled this month in a solo show aptly entitled Depth of Character. The show opens at Dominique Boisjoli Fine Art on Friday, May 24, with an artist’s reception at 4 p.m.
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- Chris Turri , Bound by Light, steel/copper, 41 x 10 x 10.
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- Chris Turri , Lucid Dreams, steel/copper, 41 x 11 x 10.
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- Chris Turri , Sol Sistere, steel/copper, 42 x 13 x 6.
Standing several feet high, Turri’s sculptures resemble tall, rectangular figures. Some pieces even feature long, thin arms that dangle alongside their totemlike bodies. Constructed from a combination of steel, stainless steel, and copper, each piece is decorated in universal symbols inspired by ancient petroglyphs the artist has spent time studying over the years in the Four Corners region. Rain clouds, water, and broken arrows are just a few of the numerous glyphs Turri has meticulously etched into his surfaces, bestowing meaning upon them. The former silversmith learned many of his techniques from a Native American craftsman in the 1970s. “I treat my work today like a piece of jewelry—it’s smooth, it’s touchable, there are no sharp edges,” he says. “After I wet-sand my work, it softens up the whole piece.”
The artist collects many of his metal scraps from mid-century vehicles he salvages throughout northern New Mexico, giving them a second life. As Turri lightly sands down these reclaimed vintage metals in his studio, they routinely reveal several old coats of paint. “The colors take me in the direction I want to go,” he says. “A brown might be painted over turquoise or yellow. Then, when I sand it softly, that’s when the character comes out.”
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- Chris Turri , Story Totem–Herstory, steel/copper, 53 x 14 x 2.
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- Chris Turri , Story Totem–Many Horses, steel/copper, 62 x 11 x 2.
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- Chris Turri , Story Totem–Sunset River, steel/copper, 47 x 12 x 2.
In Turri’s studio—a spacious converted horse barn—multiple work stations mark the various stages in his unique process. The artist designed a rusting chamber, for example, that repeatedly circulates water over his in-progress sculptures, gently aging their metallic surfaces. In some works, Turri also inlays tiny pieces of painted metal, creating colorful mosaics. Finally, he crowns each work with a colorful copper face. These faces boast brand-new copper that has undergone a custom patina process in his studio. “When they’re completed,” says Turri, “the personality jumps into the sculptures, and they unveil themselves in their complete form.” —Kim Agricola
contact information
505.983.0062
www.dominiqueboisjoli.com
This story was featured in the May 2019 issue of Southwest Art magazine. Get the Southwest Art May 2019 print issue or digital download now–then subscribe to Southwest Art and never miss another story.
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