Sterling Ruby’s work engages a wide range of cultural excavations and historical lineages with formalist attitudes to reflect societal pressures of the present moment.
A recurring element within his practice, the candle has appeared as a plush form, in drawings and textiles, installed alongside variations of other timeless, ubiquitous objects, and even as a towering monument, such as Double Candle in the permanent collection of the Hirshhorn Sculpture Garden in Washington, D.C. Each reinterpretation of such objects (candles, stoves, windows, flowers, ashtrays) brings new meaning to our evolving relationships with the items that animate our lives.
“The candles have evolved over many years. I’ve always been drawn to their simplicity as objects, and their potential for wide-ranging iconographic meaning. They’re often experienced personally, on an intimate scale, yet also serve as religious or memorial symbols. The sculpture includes two candles, conveying a coupling or relationship with a shared sense of loss or meditation.”
–Sterling Ruby
