Interconnected: Sculptures of Yvonne Domenge
Photo: Jim Prinz
Often referencing the natural world, Domenge’s work reveals a fascination with form and geometry. Her large spheres defy gravity and space, conveying a rhythmic beauty and the sense of a larger universal order. Striving to represent an underlying pattern in what may outwardly seem chaotic, her artwork strikes a unity in what we perceive as opposites and finds harmony in apparent dissonances.
The largest piece, a bronze sculpture painted bright red entitled Tree of Life, measures approximately 16 feet tall and will sit in the North Boeing Gallery, along with two companion seeds measuring four feet wide by nine feet high. An age-old concept, the tree of life is a symbol of the connection between the underworld, the sky, and the terrestrial world in pre-Columbian cultures. The tree symbolizes life's energy, and the seeds scattered beneath represent the beauty and fragility of new life.
The exhibit also boasted three steel spheres, Tabachin Ribbon, a 13 foot tall yellow sculpture; Wind Waves, a white sculpture measuring approximately 11 feet high and Coral, in blue, approximately 10 feet high. Domenge's spheres defy gravity and space, conveying a rhythmic beauty and a sense of a larger universal order.
Interconnected: The Sculptures of Yvonne Domenge was presented by the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events and Millennium Park, in cooperation with Millennium Park, Inc., and is sponsored by The Boeing Company and Mexico's CONACULTA (The National Council for the Arts and Culture), the Chicago Office of Tourism and Culture, with support from the Richard H. Driehaus Foundation, the National Museum of Mexican Art, and the Consulate General of Mexico
Artist Bio
Yvonne Domenge was born in Mexico City in 1946. She studied plastic arts at the Outremont School in Montreal, Canada, at the Corcoran School of Art, Washington, D.C., and in Mexico City. Working in materials as diverse as wood, stone, clay, marble, cement, steel, porcelain, silver, and resin, Domenge has had more than 40 solo shows and participated in nearly 200 group exhibitions in cities across Mexico, the United States, Canada, Europe, and China, including the Musee du Louvre in Paris. Her sculpture Lily recently won a gold medal at the Olympic Landscape Sculpture Design Contest in Beijing, China, and her work was selected to represent Mexico for the International Sculpture Biennale in Vancouver, Canada.
Studio Translations: Maquettes of Yvonne Domenge — Chicago Cultural Center, Chicago, IL April 2010- Dec 2010
Coinciding with Mexico's 2010 bicentennial celebrations, the models, drawings, and maquettes previewed the monumental sculptures installed in Millennium Park, illustrating the complex behind-the-scenes process that goes into each work.
