Convolutions
Painted wire
41 5/8 x 28 1/2 x 18 inches (including base)
Circa 1960
As exhibited in:
Origins: the Historical Legacy of Visual Art at Winston-Salem State University, 2017–2018, Diggs Gallery, Winston-Salem State University, Winston-Salem, North Carolina
Elevation from Within: The Study of Art at Historically Black Colleges and Universities, 2019–2024, TJC Gallery, Spartanburg, South Carolina, 2019; Richardson Family Art Museum, Wofford College, Spartanburg, South Carolina, 2021; Fisk University, Nashville, Tennessee, 2022, Florida A&M University, Tallahassee, Florida, 2023, Morgan State University, Baltimore, Maryland, 2024
It was during his tenure at Alabama State College in the 1950s that Oubre began fabricating wire sculptures. In shaping ordinary clothes hangers, the artist explored a third dimension to create what he identified as “equivocal space.” “You can see through and see the volume and bulk at the same time. It’s nothing but wire. It’s not welded or soldered. I only use pliers to bend and twist and achieve my forms.” The process demanded a considerable amount of strength and, at times, resulted in physical pain: “A wire is like a razorblade sometimes. I feel blood oozing out . . . my knuckles get scuffed up. My hands become blistered before I get the calluses.” Nicknamed the “master of torque” by his students, Oubre detailed his method in his 1960 publication The Art of Wire Sculpture.
After his retirement from teaching in 1982, Oubre was the curator of the Selma Burke Gallery which showcased works from Burke’s remarkable private collection. Originally located on Winston-Salem State University’s campus, the gallery was relocated to another HBCU, Johnson C. Smith University in Charlotte, North Carolina, in 1990.
Other works by this artist