Study for an arena (after Blinky Palermo)
I saw Blinky Palermo's work at Dia: Beacon in 2013 and found it funny. You could call Palermo a conceptualist (he included an essay on Catastrophe Theory in lieu of an artist statement for an exhibition) but his paintings also look like colour schemes of Ralph Lauren's Polo collection.
I take the colours from his Coney Island II and other semaphore paintings to create the poles for horse jumps. His triangular canvases and screenprints are the impetus for a 18 piece felt bunting. Each piece is embroidered with the name of a horse that sounds like it could moonlight as a philosopher.
This work was created as a site-specific installation for S.A.I.L.'s Airstream trailer. A trailer is a space that transports horses to competitions, but now the arena has been displaced into the trailer. Participants were invited to interact with the work, moving over and around the jump sculptures to see the entire piece.
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Blinky Palermo, Coney Island II, 1975
Photo via Dia: Beacon
Study for an arena (after Blinky Palermo), 2019, embroidery floss on felt.
Study for an arena, 2019, latex paint on wood.
Blinky Palermo, Untitled from the portfolio 4 Prototypes (4 Prototypen). 1970.
Image via MoMA
