La Chasse

John Grade installs his huge outdoor sculptures in public areas, forests, and in the gallery. These bulbous, abstract constructions are made of a variety of materials including wood and interesting starch-based resins.

Elephant Bed

Grade is interested in the tradition of land art, and manipulating the natural landscape itself to form art pieces that are temporary and transient. While his constructions are sturdy and not necessarily built from the land, he often places them outdoors in conditions that will naturally cause damage and eventual decay to the art piece. Many of the pieces reflect the natural landscape, or become part of it in a way – I especially enjoy the pieces that are interactive in some way, like a few that form tunnels for people to walk through and experience from the inside.

Some of Grade’s sculptures also incorporate kinetic elements – whether this is by mechanical means, or facilitated by a delicate construction moving in the wind. I like how this reflects nature as well, in the opening and closing of flowers, or waves of light and sound. 

Fold