Shazam! That’s the name of the blue sculpture that the Sarasota Art Museum has just installed in its courtyard.
It stands 12 feet tall by 10 feet wide and is a striking example of contemporary Constructivist sculpture.
Created by Brooklyn sculptor John Clement, “Shazam” pushes the boundaries of the genre by transforming utilitarian materials into playful, gravity-defying structures. Whether you venture inside or choose to simply stroll the plaza and great lawn, there’s a lot to see at the Sarasota Museum of Art, inside and out.
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In addition to the rotating exhibitions it displays in its second and third floor gallery, the Sarasota Art Museum has installed wall hangings, murals and sculpture inside its lobby, stairwells, the Schmidt Loggia, McCague Arcade and the Bistro, along with outdoor spaces in Klein Plaza, the Great Lawn and other locations throughout the museum’s campus. It calls this collection “Inside Out,” and it affords contemporary artists from around the world the opportunity to share thought-provoking work outside of the gallery setting. The idea is to spark new conversations about art and ideas among museumgoers of all ages and backgrounds.
John Clement’s “Shazam” (2014) is the latest addition to the “Inside Out” collection. Clement indicates that he was influenced by the monumental works of his mentors, Marc di Suvero and John Henry, in designing and fabricating this work. The sculpture features sweeping curves that are carefully balanced on a single intersecting line, creating a form that seems to be on the verge of teetering out of place. Despite its large scale (144 x 120 x 60 inches) and industrial materials (8-inch steel with 1 inch of steel plating), the sculpture feels light, joyful, and full of movement.
In his body of work, Clement cuts, bends, and welds industrial elements to construct large-scale, interconnected arrangements. Much like three-dimensional line drawings, the artist’s curvilinear compositions explore form, space, movement, and balance to create sculptures that appear deceivingly simple.
Born in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, in 1969, Clement received his bachelor of arts from the University of Pennsylvania in 1992 before studying at the School of Visual Arts in New York. He began working with di Suvero and Henry in the 1990s, and has since exhibited widely, with public sculptures installed across North America, Europe, Asia, and Australia.
Support for WGCU’s arts & culture reporting comes from the Estate of Myra Janco Daniels, the Charles M. and Joan R. Taylor Foundation, and Naomi Bloom in loving memory of her husband, Ron Wallace.
