sundance

Sculptor Ron van der Ende’s big Armory splash

As the excitement of this year’s Armory Show fades, a few stand-out artists have managed to keep a buzz going. Ron van der Ende is one such artist, easily making a name for himself with his eye-catching wall-mounted sculptures. The Netherlands-based artist is represented in the US by the Seattle gallery Ambach & Rice, which showed a series of his signature bas-relief sculptures made form salvaged wood. What is perhaps most remarkable about these pieces that van der Ende doesn’t paint over or alter the color of the wood in any way; He uses it in its original state, chopping of hunks and rearranging them into photo-realistic mosaics.

Big, bright pop-art is always a big hit at large shows like the Armory, and though van der Ende is a relative newbie in the US, showing mainly in Europe, American crowds definitely took notice. It’s still up in the air as to whether his work will make a lasting impression. As far as pop-art goes it’s tough to predict what will stick and what will be forgotten. My natural impulses veer towards complexity, but if sales figures for new artists are any indicator, the simpler and more straightforward the better. Let’s not forget the record-busting collaboration between musician Pharrell Williams and Takashi Murakami, “The Simple Things,” which sold for and unprecedented $2.8 at the 2009 Art Basel. Of course, big figures don’t necessarily guarantee longevity or critical acclaim, for that matter, and certainly van der Ende’s work operates on a much more – can we just say better level?