Carol Bove - The Foamy Saliva of a Horse at The Common Guild

Carol Bove
The Foamy Saliva of a Horse
The Common Guild
20 April – 29 June 2013
21 Woodlands Terrace, Glasgow, G3 6DF

The Foamy Saliva of a Horse
2011
Mixed media on MDF plinth

"Driftwood, peacock feathers, seashells, books and concrete all appear in the work of New York-based artist Carol Bove. In exquisite installations that combine an array of found and fabricated elements, Bove demonstrates an intense understanding of display through the collection of plinths, frames, supports and stands that become as much part of the work as the items they hold.

Presenting objects and artefacts in arrangements that heighten the symbolic meaning and relationship between them, Bove’s meticulous assemblages bring to the fore the cultural, spiritual, mystical and even psychological associations that adhere to objects through time.
This exhibition at The Common Guild comprises a re-arrangement of her highly acclaimed installation ‘The Foamy Saliva of a Horse’ (2011), which was presented at the 54th Venice Biennale. Featuring a collection of found and hand-made objects, such as a piece of driftwood suspended in a polished bronze frame, the installation brings together seemingly random (and even contradictory) objects that, while natural in origin, call to mind the artifice of cultural value and meaning.

This is the first public exhibition of Bove’s work in the UK. It follows her participation in several important international exhibitions including the 54th Venice Biennale in 2011 and dOCUMENTA (13) in 2012, in which she realised her first outdoor work.
Installation view of The Foamy Saliva of a Horse (2011) at the 54th Venice Biennale, Venice, in 2011"

Installation view of The Foamy Saliva of a Horse (2011) at the 54th Venice Biennale, Venice, in 2011

The Foamy Saliva of a Horse
2011
Mixed media on MDF plinth
The Foamy Saliva of a Horse (2011) consists of lots of elements which could be seen as separate works in their own right. I am interested in the notion that the work can be presented entirely differently, but remains the same piece of work. When presented at the 54th Venice Biennale, The Foamy Saliva of a Horse, was displayed on a huge plinth, whereas in the current exhibition at The Common Guild (2013), the objects are displayed on the floor, and occupy different rooms in the domestic home setting of The Common Guild.

The experience of viewing The Foamy Saliva of a Horse would be completely different depending on where it was exhibited.

The upstairs room at The Common Guild housed a large rug-like rectangle of peacock feathers next to a metal screen, along with a couple of other objects. The metal screen could be stood in, and had an architectural presence. However, I imagine that this would have been rather different when seen at the Venice Biennale because it would stand on the plinth and therefore may be have seen as an object.

Unfortunately,  I was not able to attend the Friday Event with Carol Bove speaking about her work, but I look forward to watching the video footage of the event.