The Boston Sculptors Gallery presents Flights of Fancy, an exhibition of sculpture by the late artist David A. Lang. The show includes Lang’s signature kinetic pieces which, when set off by motion detectors, come to life when closely inspected by viewers. Flights of Fancy explores the whimsical—yet serious— nature of an artist who preferred to describe his efforts as “accidentally profound.”
Cunning wit and word play define much of the work. Wrapture presents an invisible body encased in a straight jacket with paper wings flapping above where a head should be. First Strike, a tongue-in-cheek reference to military action, features tiny American flags moving back and forth above matches that “ignite” against a surface resembling sandpaper. Perhaps the most poignant works reference classical mythology. The well-worn boots in Odysseus and the wheeled contraption in Daedalus signify a creative journey, while gently undulating paper wings express flights of imagination that both amuse and inspire.
Jessica Straus’s exhibition, TransAtlantic, travels to Boston Sculptors Gallery after its 2017 premier in Athis de L’Orne, France. Originally commissioned as a site-specific installation for Le Temple Protestant, located in a region of Normandy that suffered heavy bombardment during World War II, TransAtlantic commemorates the long and strong alliance between France and the United States. The installation is both political and personal. Straus’ parents met as a result of her American father’s participation as a soldier in the Normandy invasion and subsequent march into Paris, where he met the artist’s mother, a French student.