Lynda Benglis

Goliath

Lynda Benglis’ 1989 Goliath explores the capacity of industrial materials to mimic forms, rhythms, and textures found throughout nature, such as water, clouds, or land formations. Taking a cue from the contrast between artificial environments and the natural landscape surrounding her New Mexico studio, Benglis sets up dissimilar forms and materials in conversation with each other, hoping that the confrontation will spark a dialogue. Goliath, for instance, takes up a material habitually regarded as cold and rigid and infuses it with life and visual dynamism, making stainless steel seem as lively as a billowing fabric or a blooming flower. Protruding from the wall into the viewer’s space, the work suggests a tactile richness and organic pliability reminiscent of a crumpled leaf or a jutting mushroom. The color and patina, however, remind the viewer that this is a metallic artifice, a man-made object.