Untitled

Close up of Untitled

Large, abstract sculpture, fabricated of rusted iron wires, conveys an organic form. At center is a mass of thin, tangled wires shaped into a thick disc, sitting on edge. From either side of the center disc a mass of slightly bent, thicker wires juts straight out.
Large, abstract sculpture, fabricated of rusted iron wires, conveys an organic form. At center is a mass of thin, tangled wires shaped into a thick disc, sitting on edge. From either side of the center disc a mass of slightly bent, thicker wires juts straight out.
Frida Baranek, Untitled, 1991; Iron, 44 x 75 x 46 in.; National Museum of Women in the Arts, Museum purchase: The Lois Pollard Price Acquisition Fund; © Frida Baranek / Galeria Raquel Arnaud, © Frida Baranek

Frida Baranek’s untitled sculpture looks as if it were assembled from lightweight natural materials that might tumble off the pedestal if set in motion by a gust of wind. However, it is actually made of iron wire and rods and weighs about 90 pounds.

The work’s dense central form is a circular mass of rusted iron wire. It is bisected with bent iron rods. The interweaving of wire and rods gives the sculpture a linear quality, as if it were a drawing in space.

This illusion of weightlessness and use of line to define space characterize Baranek’s work. So, too, does her interest in using her art to comment on environmental issues in her native Brazil and globally.

Artwork Details

  • Artist

    Frida Baranek
  • Title

    Untitled
  • Date

    1991
  • Medium

    Iron
  • Dimensions

    44 x 75 x 46 in.
  • Donor Credit

    Museum purchase: The Lois Pollard Price Acquisition Fund
  • Photo Credit

    © Frida Baranek
  • On Display

    No