Artbeat

Brief sketches of what's happening in the Denver art scene.

A A A Comments By Michael Paglia Thursday, Jul 15 2004

In the intimate gallery at the front of Artyard, (1251 South Pearl Street, 303-777-3219), Kansas artist Marc Berghaus is the subject of the solo Linguistic Utopias, #1. Berghaus has been exhibiting his sculptures in the area for a few years; just in the past few months his work has been on display at the Colorado Photographic Arts Center and at the Foothills Art Center.

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Most of the pieces at Artyard, which are among his most recent efforts, are simpler and more modest in size than the other works he's exhibited. The one exception is "Library" (right), done in wood, metal and paint, which looks like an archaic scientific instrument, especially the elegantly framed lenses mounted on a wheel.

The other pieces, according to Berghaus's artist statement, concern his quest for a religion of silence both in research and in the creation of sacred wordless texts. These pieces definitely have a transitional quality to them, and it will be interesting to see where they lead.

The indoor gallery has been the only attraction at Artyard for years, because the yard itself had disappeared. Well, not really -- it was still there -- but it was given over to surface parking. How that happened begins with a falling out among partners that got so bad that lawyers became involved, and ends with the restoration of the land to Artyard -- half of it, anyway.

Currently, there isn't an exhibition in the yard, nor has there been much effort to landscape it. Instead, sculptures from the gallery's stock have been scattered here and there. Pieces on display now include those by Artyard's resident artist, Bob Mangold, who has his studio here. Also featured are a couple of industrial-inspired constructivist pieces in steel by Mangold's old friend, Chuck Parson. There are also planar sculptures by Mexico's Sebastian. It's great to see that Artyard has its yard again, and I can't wait to see it when director Peggy Mangold gets around to using it as a sculpture garden.

Linguistic Utopias, #1 at Artyard closes on July 17.