Brooke Alexander is pleased to announce an exhibition of paintings, sculpture and works on paper by Helmut Dorner, Richard Tuttle and Franz West, on view through October 27, 2001.

At first glace, the most striking commonality between these three artists is their minimal and intuitive approach to imagery and to the materials they use; it is however an underlying sense of duality that draws these three artists together. Franz West, whose sculpture is known to work `in-between' established categories such as object and furniture, is juxtaposed with Helmut Dorner, whose work, situated between painting and relief, is a tense dialogue between the smoothly painted lacquer surfaces and rough patches of oil impasto. Richard Tuttle is also known to work with an `in-between' state, a transition between two and three dimensions such as using string or wire as both line and volume. A distinct similarity between these three artists lies in their non-traditional approach to their materials: West regularly incorporates wire, papier-mâché, glass bottles and plastic containers, plaster, gauze, and duct tape in his work; Tuttle also uses wire, bits of cardboard, cloth, string and wood; rather than the traditional canvas, Dorner employs plexiglas as a light-transmitting surface which makes his paintings read as reliefs.

Highlighted in the exhibition is a new multiple by Franz West, entitled Kleines Passstück (Small Adaptive), published by Brooke Alexander Editions. West began making these adaptives in the 1970's, formalizing his idea of duality within sculpture as both a functionless object and something for the viewer to pick up and carry around, thus creating a participative sculpture. Kleines Passstuck is precariously placed atop an elongated pedestal, elevating its position in the viewer's eyes, yet also inviting the viewer closer to handle and explore it for themselves. It is an invitation to physically interact with his sculpture, breaking down the barriers of "Do Not Touch".