The colour-saturated, perfectly finished sculptures of Alexander Caldwell playfully perch at the intersection where minimalism meets pop art. Caldwell employs smooth curves and sharp angles, round volumes and flat planes; each piece is a single bright colour or coated with a metal finish. Working mostly with found materials, Caldwell uses colour to remove shape from its functional origins. He applies automotive or oilfield paint with filler to hide the joins and welds of assembled industrial components: steel or aluminum pipes, pipe elbows, metal hemispheres. The result is a flawless skin that is impervious to weather. Caldwell says the colour transformation of the industrial materials is so critical, it is as if the metal is simply an armature for the paint. His “disc” sculptures are coated in a colour flop enamel that changes colour as people walk by. Born in Whitehorse, Yukon, Caldwell studied sculpture at ACAD, graduatingin1985. His work has been exhibited and commissioned for over three decades across Canada, the US and Europe, including Calgary, Miami, Chicago,Scotland, and Switzerland. Selected exhibitions include: Alex Caldwell / Ben Skinner, Winsor Gallery, Vancouver (2016); FIVE ARTISTS, Paul Kuhn Gallery (2016); CRANK THAT, Paul Kuhn Gallery (2016); Water, Whyte Museum, Banff (2015);EXPOSURE X 5, Paul Kuhn Gallery (2015); Made in Calgary: The 2000s, Glenbow Museum (2014); Concurrent, Winsor Gallery, Vancouver (2014). Caldwell’s work is represented in many public and private collections such as:Nickel Arts Museum; Alberta Foundation for the Arts; University of Calgary; The City of Calgary; EnCana/Cenovus; SMED International; Opus Corporation; Big Rock Brewery; F&D Scene Changes; Canadian Pacific; Disney Tokyo; W hotel (Korea); Emerald Lake Lodge; Buffalo Mountain Lodge; IDI Group Architects; Zeidler, Carruthers Architects; Plains Oil; Canadian Unity Council Western Securities; Field Aviation.
