Camryn Gipe, Merrideth McDowell, Saif Mahmood

 

Mia Westerlund Roosen’s Flank II (1978)

 

At first glance, when looking at Mia Westerlund Roosen’s Flank II it is hard to understand the intention behind the sculpture. We do not know what Mia’s original intent of Flank II is, as she never released a statement on the piece, but there are qualities of her other works that allow us to make an educated guess. Westerlund-Roosen was known for her minimalist handmade outdoor sculptures. She loved to explore the human body through geometric shapes, making most of her art focused on sensuality and femininity. Flank II, comprised of two long triangle shapes made of concrete, one on top of another, wrapped in aged warping copper, seems like a very mundane design, but Westerlund is known for her abstract ideas to make simple designs to be depicted in her own light and bringing them to life. Based on what Mia is known for, we believe that this piece could be meant to either be two dependent figures that connect in a sensual way, like the human body. It could also be a depiction of organic vs industrial life, we think this because a lot of her work is considered “land art”. Flank II specifically blends in to its environment very easily, and though the sculpture itself is more crafted, it looks very industrial to the naked eye and it is juxtaposed in a grass field which actually blends in to the color of the aged copper.

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Mia Westerlund-Roosen was born in 1942 in New York where she lived most of her life. She originally wanted to be a dancer, which is evident in her use of shapes and the human body in her sculptures. Mia started her art career in the late 60’s, In the midst of a high increase of art and culture as well as industrialization and the economy. This environment shaped her art in many ways, it was likely the inspiration for her industrial and minimalistic style and of course her subject matter was almost definitely influenced by growing up in 1960’s New York. In her early days of her career, Mia Westerlund Roosen was known for her outdoor sculptures, known to make a simple concept come to life by incorporating her knowledge of sensuality.  Her art consists of handmade sculptures adding to the idea of her interest of associating the human body in her art through geometric shapes. Her Most popular sculptures are 3 installations on Park Avenue In New York, they are called ‘Juggler,’ ‘Baritone,’ and ‘French Kiss’. In ‘French Kiss’ you can see the “Sensual lines, soft textures, and elegantly cast shadows juxtaposed with towering buildings, such as the Seagram and the Citigroup headquarters, add a sense of vulnerability and calm to these bustling streets.”

During the period in which Flank II was being created a feminist movement had begun, during the cold war, and after the Vietnam war.  The feminist movement played a role in the sensual feel of Flank II, she almost tried to make connectivity between the shapes like they are living. It hard to say for sure but it is possible that the industrial feel to the sculpture was influenced by the war and the juxtaposition of the nature is supposed create a sense of peace. This idea can also be reflected through the ware of the metal and the damage the sculpture has endured. The video features a photo examining a particular damage that resides on the line between both bodies of the sculpture, which we argue wasn’t necessarily specifically foreseen by Mia, but due to her choice in material she must have anticipated the damage to occur to the piece. Damage much like the natural aging process of bodies, movements and buildings.

 

Video credits:

Camryn Gipe– Director, videographer, photographer

Merrideth McDowell– editor, videographer, photographer

Saif Mahmood– Videographer, photographer, director

 

Bibliography:

“AO On Site – New York: Mia Westerlund Roosen, ‘Juggler,’ ‘Baritone,’ and

‘French Kiss,’ Installation on Park Avenue, Through August 28th, 2010.” Other Features, 30 May 2010, artobserved.com/2010/05/ao-on-site-new-york-mia-westerlund-roosen-juggler-baritone-and-french-kiss-installation-on-park-avenue-through-august-28th-2010/.

 

“Mia Westerlund Roosen.” Betty Cuningham Gallery, Feb. 2017,

www.bettycuninghamgallery.com/artists/mia-westerlund-roosen.

 

bcuninghamgallery. “Mia Westerlund Roosen.” YouTube, YouTube, 12 Apr. 2012, www.youtube.com/watch?v=bmvykiQVon0.

 

“Mia Westerlund Roosen.” Wall Street International, Wall Street Journal, 23 Feb. 2017, wsimag.com/art/23815-mia-westerlund-roosen.