Matthew Barney: DJED at Gladstone Gallery

I love the work of Matthew Barney. Always have, and I think always will. Here in a new series called "DJED" Matthew draws inspiration from Norman Mailer's "Ancient Evenings".

From the press release: 

"Ancient Evenings” is a multi-part project structured as a site-specific opera in collaboration with Jonathan Bepler, loosely based on Norman Mailer's 1983 novel of the same title. Set in ancient Egypt, Mailer’s novel chronicles the seven stages of the soul's progression through death and rebirth according to Egyptian mythology, as told through the story of one man. While Mailer's narrative focuses on the transformation of the human body, Barney enacts the recurring cycles of reincarnation through the use of an automobile, creating a contemporary allegory of death and rebirth within the American industrial landscape. The sculptures on view are both formally and conceptually related to the 1967 Chrysler Crown Imperial from Cremaster 3. Revolving around three generations of American automobile design, the "Ancient Evenings" narrative is rooted in the reincarnation of its leading protagonist, the Chrysler Imperial."

Iron, copper, bronze and lead are a departure from Barney's traditional materials, and the RED drawings (unfortunately I don't have an image) are to die for in their particularity.

Until October 22 at Gladstone Gallery 21st Street