Coil Piece

The brightly colored, rippling ribbon ties and pink material that binds the spiraling wire in Ree Morton’s Coil Piece are made of celastic, a claylike plastic material that can be molded and draped when dipped in acetone, and which hardens when dry. Buoyant, playful, and notably handcrafted, Coil Piece counters the coolness and neutrality of the geometric forms prevalent in minimalist sculpture. Morton’s use of decorative elements, such as bows, and the candy-colored palette, both of which are typically associated with a “feminine sensibility,” may be seen in this case as a rejection of classically defined “good taste.” The intentional frivolity of Coil Piece undermines the traditional art establishment and its values of monumentality and significance, as well as its hierarchizing of art above craft, decoration, and ornament.