Strong Silent Type I, 2016 Blackened steel On loan from the artist
The various shapes in blackened steel and mirrored chrome do not immediately reveal their source or meaning. Traced from sewing patterns, these shapes make subtle reference to the gendered labor of garment making, a recurring theme in Bart’s oeuvre.
These installations also cite Minimalism, a predominately male-led artistic movement of the 1960s typified by simple shapes, factory-made materials, and a presumed lack of emotional influence. Bart’s objects, however, are full of emotional content.
Bart hopes the black and mirrored forms will conjure associations with cinema. The strong silent type in film is an archetypal male whose strength is presumed by his emotional restraint. Bart recasts these cultural references to masculinity through a feminine lens. Here, the woman is the strong silent type.
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