If you have a body of work that is developing, then work comes out of work, onionskin by onionskin.

– Richard Serra, 1993

Inspired by Richard Serra’s sentiments,  ‘Node’ marks the next step in the ongoing development of Kyle Morland’s studio practice as a complex network of interrelated ideas which serve to generate new works. Over time, Morland has fostered a series of self-imposed guidelines (increasingly sophisticated and concise) which suggest the directions and form of new sculptures. These include titling conventions which describe the specific history of a work’s construction, colour signifiers conveying information about the materials used and self-fashioned bending tools to facilitate the realisation of the artist’s ideas.

There is a kind of structuralist philosophy to Morland’s view of the studio, one which incorporates as icons everything from jigs, bending machines, off-cuts, joints, support structures for previous works and found studio objects. ‘Node’ in this sense refers to the interconnectedness of these structures within an evolving overarching system. The term can also refer to “knot”, both as a noun (a knot) and a verb (to knot). This is pertinent in relation to the entangled steel forms of works such as 175/8 3.4 5.3 (2014) and 120/6 2.5 3.2 (2014). While the final sculptures appear seamless with no apparent start or end point, Morland’s datasheets assert their underlying composition of discrete angled lengths of steel.

‘Node’ incorporates two large steel sculptures, a series of works on rock paper and a wall-mounted steel profile. It is Kyle Morland’s third solo exhibition with blank projects.

Kyle Morland (b.1986, Johannesburg, South Africa) lives and works in Cape Town. He graduated from the University of Cape Town’s Michaelis School of Fine Art in 2009. He has taken part in multiple group exhibitions, including ‘Flag New York City’, curated by Randi Grov Berger as part of Performa 13, and ‘Thinking, Feeling, Head, Heart’ at the New Church Museum, Cape Town. His first solo exhibition at blank projects, ‘FALSEWORK’, was held in 2011, followed by ‘New Sculptures’ in 2013 and ‘Node’ in 2015. In 2012 Morland was also selected as one of Wanted Magazine’s 10 Young African Artists.

by Tim Leibbrandt

Seidener, D. 1993. ‘Richard Serra’ in BOMB 42 (Winter 1993)

Opening Thursday, 5 March 2015, 18:00

www.blankprojects.com