"My recent series focuses on the elements of water, fire & heat, air & steam and earth & iron in an effort to more inclusively involve the process of iron melting (fire and earth) and re-direct the work’s focus more closely towards the notion of that which is ephemeral (air, steam and heat). The concepts of forgotten memories and lessons once learned are universal. I make these themes resonate with hypnotic frequency as one gazes upon water dripping steadily into a heated iron basin creating a steady cadence of audible hissing. In this instant the life giving compound vaporizes into nothingness like a memory lost forever.
With my radiator series I am presenting a new kind of readymade that contradicts one of the basic conditions of the genre. The tradition of the readymade has been predicated on its removal from a utilitarian context. By going a step further I make my radiator sculptures generate heat as was their purpose. Rather than simply borrowing an object and placing it on a pedestal I additionally restore and appropriate its original function and transform that into a formal quality of the work. These sculptures deny my audience the option of non-involvement. Casual observers may choose to ignore a typical work of art, but they cannot deny the feeling of warmth against their skin. This quality surrounds the viewer and forces them to engage my work through the inescapable sensation of heat thus rupturing the typical boundaries of art perception.
I aspire to use iron, the most utilitarian and ubiquitous element on the planet, and transform it into something magical that transcends the limitations which keep most iron or metal sculpture in the realm of object. Once this boundary is lifted an entirely new vision is possible."
Mike Dominick
With my radiator series I am presenting a new kind of readymade that contradicts one of the basic conditions of the genre. The tradition of the readymade has been predicated on its removal from a utilitarian context. By going a step further I make my radiator sculptures generate heat as was their purpose. Rather than simply borrowing an object and placing it on a pedestal I additionally restore and appropriate its original function and transform that into a formal quality of the work. These sculptures deny my audience the option of non-involvement. Casual observers may choose to ignore a typical work of art, but they cannot deny the feeling of warmth against their skin. This quality surrounds the viewer and forces them to engage my work through the inescapable sensation of heat thus rupturing the typical boundaries of art perception.
I aspire to use iron, the most utilitarian and ubiquitous element on the planet, and transform it into something magical that transcends the limitations which keep most iron or metal sculpture in the realm of object. Once this boundary is lifted an entirely new vision is possible."
Mike Dominick
