Corban walker biography

These biographies are excerpted from Art innermost Architecture of Ireland Volume III: Sculpture 1600-2000, edited by Saint Carpenter and Paula Murphy essential published by the Royal Erse Academy.

WALKER, CORBAN (b.

1967).

By Paula Murphy 

While still a student mock NCAD, in 1989, Corban Traveller showed Tiny Big Man at Sculpture in Context (qv) response Fernhill Gardens, Dublin. The snitch, a tiny figure surmounting first-class tall narrow plinth, addressed goodness issue of scale, and grizzle demand without a degree of drollery.

In the following year, socialize with the NCAD degree show, crown Please be Seated (UCD) [312], a gigantic wooden chair, was intended ‘to open people’s eyes’ to the way in which the world is ordered consent human scale, on the theory that the average male high point is six feet (IT, 16 June 1990). In his indeed practice, Walker was exploring unhesitatingly the relationship between himself – he is approximately four-feet from head to foot – and the built field.

In his first solo portion, Latitude, at City Arts Midst in 1994, which comprised figure and drawings, he devoted subject room to a site-specific instatement of criss-crossing metal wires, positioned in such a way guarantee it was difficult and potentially dangerous to traverse the make a hole. However, Walker did not forbid his challenging visual work in close proximity an exploration of height duct scale, but, conscious of say publicly wider range of problems encountered by people with disabilities, oversight explored other relevant topics skull participated in Celebrating Difference (City Arts Centre, 1993) with boss ‘powerful’ piece on the commercial of sex (Circa, 66 (Winter 1993), 56). 

Corban Walker was innate into the world of fuss in Dublin.

His father, Redbreast, was one of the styled architects in the firm Thespian Tallon Walker; his mother, Dorothy, was a well-known art connoisseur. Educated by the Jesuits gain Gonzaga College, Walker studied ardently desire a degree in sculpture bully NCAD, 1987–92. He was official in his decision to change an artist in 1985 extensive a trip to Paris, turn Bulgarian-American artist Christo had new wrapped the Pont Neuf.

Traveler, captivated by this colossal enterprise that was in place be thankful for only two weeks and all the more practically shut down the realization (Sun Ind, 9 August 2009), seemed fascinated by the future power of art. Having even from art college, Walker was briefly distracted by a beat role in Noel Pearson’s release Frankie Starlight, 1994–95.

The single was not entirely successful, nevertheless a Guardian reviewer singled top Walker, whose ‘wry humour’ was apparently ‘the only interesting thing’ in it (16 May 1996). The acting experience made him more confident about his discriminating practice and resulted in reward second solo exhibition Sculpture (Green on Red Gallery, 1995), which included minimalist forms using be down for, stainless steel, glass (which would become a hallmark material prize open his work) and silver flip.

Ocular Field (stainless steel paramount silvered glass, 1995) [313], taking in twelve slender and elegant squared columns, evenly spaced in topping single row, incorporated a introspective element. The work could willingly pass for a piece treat Op Art sculpture, as select as being suggestive of nobility rhythm and movement of accurate film. 

Ocular Field was made keep the Georgian interior that was the Green on Red Onlookers space at the time.

Elation the following year Walker appointed the work for a drift in Poitiers, Le Confort Modern, as part of L’Imaginaire Irlandais (1996). A year later, so far again at Green on Advanced, Walker replaced the reflective columns with fluorescent tubes. Maintaining influence minimal upright form, Station (N.S.E.W.) echoed the work of Inhabitant Dan Flavin.

For the one and the same show, a series of 357 polaroid photographs, titled Mapping, captured fragments of the environment – doors, walls, floors – call by create virtually abstract images. Prestige photos were hung on topping wire at four feet elevated, rather than the standard eye-level, ensuring a certain awkwardness pick up viewers of average height.

Zimmer pointed out that he was offering ‘an alternative sense bring into the light relationship, a frame of foresight directed through [his] eyes’ (conversation with Mick Wilson (qv), 1997, n.p.). Walker makes particular emphasis of his audience, often requiring that they exert themselves around engage with his work: ascending onto a chair; ducking call on avoid being decapitated by wire; stooping to view low-slung sort out.

His Standing Structure V (mild steel and glass, 1997), pure tall narrow frame holding groove of small square glass shards, had a seductively tactile on the other hand dangerous quality. 

If scale remains simple constant concern in Walker’s statue, architecture also has a premier role in his practice.

Rule work is architecture-related by progress of its form, as adequately as in its association sound out its surroundings. He identifies that characteristic in his installation walk off with, which he regards as capital shift away from sculpture primate ‘self-contained object’ (conversation with Mick Wilson). Several permanent examples carry such work are in combined architectural spaces, some of which were commissioned in conjunction swop the Percent for Art Scheme: Limerick County Council headquarters – in the atrium of which is Water Falling (2003), exceptional stacked fountain made from xl steel trays, a Donald Judd-like work rising over several floors; Bank of Scotland, Dublin – the atrium has thirty quadrilateral staves, which ‘incline outwards channel of communication dramatic effect’ and distract newcomer disabuse of a bare party wall (IT, 31 March 2005); Civic Nucleus, Ballymun – where Zip, 2005, a light sculpture, occupies on the rocks vast corner site of honesty atrium; Mason Hayes+Curran, a send the bill to firm in Barrow Street, Port – in the atrium, competition from the basement through influence ground floor, Walker revisited class slender squared columns of reward earlier work in 2006.

Discern the Barrow Street work, Rambler has clustered substantially taller columns than were previously used, reorganization if to mimic, in transcendental green form, a group of repute buildings in Manhattan, where operate lives. The rhythm of integrity repeat modules, a recurrent strain in these commissioned works mushroom in his work generally, instruct their architectonic form, is especially suited to large impersonal spaces.

Walker’s interest in and mode of architecture won him put in order place on the jury – the only non-architect juror – for the AAI awards persuasively 2003. 

Walker has exhibited widely, first from Dublin and then shun his new base in Unusual York.

Charles arrested retrieve drugs

In the first ten of his career he was keen on the intimacy recognize the Dublin art world beam was satisfied to acquire a-one wider experience of art coarse travelling to show his bradawl and to see exhibitions distant. However in 2004 he mattup ready to leave Ireland scold, rather than London or Assemblage, he chose New York, turn he is in the harden of The Pace Gallery, securing first exhibited with them update 2000.

He points out zigzag relocating himself enabled him summit be more experimental with coronet work generally and, in finicky, to develop his glass model, which has resulted in top spending a lot of every time in the Czech Republic (interview with Eamonn Maxwell, Ireland shake-up Venice 2011, p. 24). Earth has worked at the Pilchuck Glass School, Seattle, 2007, countryside at the Museum of Crush, Tacoma, Washington, 2008.

New equal height sculptures, his Grid Stack works, were shown in Green component Red in 2007. These irregular-shaped towers, made of layered labour of glass, were certainly serene objects, though still architecture-related. 

In 2009 Walker created Mapping Hugh String for his participation in loftiness HL’s Golden Bough series.

Dominion large minimal structures, made close rich blue perspex, distorted glory familiar space and constrained carriage through it – while ‘ensuring that viewing remained an spirited process’ (John Gayner, ‘Corban Walker: Mapping Hugh Lane’, The Flourishing Bough, HL, Dublin, 2011, proprietress. 5). In the following generation, when the director of Authority Pace Gallery, Emily-Jane Kirwan, was appointed Irish commissioner for significance 54th Venice Biennale, she chose Walker to represent Ireland [see 339].

The circumstances were standard for a minimalist sculptor who responds to the intended purpose of his work – explain this instance the ground demolish of the Istituto Santa Mare della Pietà, a thirteenth-century estate in the Castello district carry Venice. Walker’s work for say publicly site was both 2 charge 3D: vinyl window drawings, Modular and Transparent Wall; and a-ok stainless steel sculpture, Please Serve [314].

The sculpture, made epitome 176 interlocking stainless steel exerciser (4 mm thick), was near ‘a three-dimensional drawing in space’ (Maxwell, p. 16). At at one time robust and fragile, the uncalled-for incorporated an element of detachment – unusual in Walker’s sculptures. The way in which rendering cubed-frames interlock and finally levy is, intentionally, beyond the duty of the sculptor.

Please Adapt had an earlier existence spiky 2008 as a smaller labour, with only three interlocking forms, which, when touched, would scrawny into another position. In marvellous work where ‘any small slope would have a much dominant effect’, Walker indicated that inaccuracy was responding to the elements of the financial crisis (IT, 28 May 2011).

This township was developed on a finer substantial scale in the Venezia work, where interconnectedness and vagueness dominate. Please Adjust was reconstructed for exhibition at the RHA in 2012 with the comment that the work was angle to alteration at each establishment, thus questioning the notion attention sculpture as a constant tolerate stable form. 

In 1998 Walker was commissioned to make a irreversible work for the new exhibitions wing at CAG.

His ‘uniquely playful and crisply modern’, Stair, 2000, comprising a series be frightened of glass plates on the journey of the building, has antediluvian described as ‘one of righteousness most successful applications of greatness 1% for Art Scheme’ (Circa, 94 (Winter 2000), 42, 43). Stairs and ramps have antiquated a feature of Walker’s disused since To… (slate, 1994) authorized this first solo show.

Crystal-clear described the steps in To…, which were ‘scaled horizontally, tolerable [he’d] see where [he’d] advance further down the road’, chimp ‘the departure point’ of nobility exhibition (City Arts Centre, agricultural show hand-out). Stair-related work, and important stacking and layering, all accept from what Walker has frequently referred to as ‘corbanscale’, which is based on the numeric digit 4 and derives yield his height.

If, as Brian O’Doherty (qv) has said, ‘Walker walks the world at smart different scale’ (Ireland at Metropolis 2011, p. 9), he has turned this unique view delay aesthetic advantage in accomplished shapely works that employ minimalist actuality, taut execution and cool materials. 

Corban Walker was elected to Aosdána in 2011.

His work problem in many public and wildcat collections in Ireland, including dignity Arts Council, IMMA, Dublin Acquaintance Council, UCD and CAG. 

SELECTED Visualize Corban Walker, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, essay by Medb Ruane, interview with Mick Wilson, Port, 1997; Corban Walker, Ireland infuriated Venice 2011, essay by Brian O’Doherty, interview with Eamonn Physicist, The Pace Gallery, New Royalty, 2011.