Richard Wager contemplates ignored spaces
and things (a three-foot section of subway platform, a toothbrush,
a plastic spoon, a standard light bulb). Through a series of routine
efforts he transforms the commonplace into glowing totemic moments.
The subway platform is scrubbed with a host of solvents until it
sparkles, the toothbrush, spoon, and light bulb are dipped repeatedly
in beeswax or plaster until they are unrecognizable. Part art pottery,
part Close Encounter mounds, Wager's dipped
objects are an enigmatic tribute to ordinary things.
