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Houston Press, September 23, 2004
Best Sculpure Garden: The Artery
"Visit the Artery during the day, and it looks at first glance like an enclave
for a neighborhood crack dealer. Surrounded by a dense thicket of hackberry
trees and a rusting chain-link fence, the lot in the Museum District's residential
area is full of rubble. Indeed, works by artists such as Louise Bourgeois
and Frank Stella are much more likely to turn up a few blocks away at Houston's
more famous sculpture enclave, the Cullen Sculpture Garden. But just as the sun
sets and the Cullen goes dark, the Artery comes to life. The rubble -- loads
of stone construction materials left on the lot by the previous owner -- takes
shape as a series of intricate light sculptures set along winding, wooded paths.
You'll find beakers bubbling over with smoke, illuminated ductwork weaving through
patterned stacks of slate, and a fireplace enlivened by a fan, a light bulb
and fluttering red cellophane. The mastermind behind the Artery, Houston artist
Mark Larsen, has opened it to the public for talks and performances since
1987 -- and always free of charge (though donations are appreciated). Veteran patrons might want to check out the newest exhibit: burnished tree branches,
half sculpted, half wild, that are bound in rope, blending in with the Artery's
natural environment, yet jarring to the senses like captured beasts from a
foreign jungle.
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