Pittsburgh Magazine - November 2018 - Pittsburgh, PA: Alex Da Corte’s “Rubber Pencil Devil” (more about the name later) marks the artist’s monumental contribution to the 57th Carnegie International. This multimedia installation is not only one of the most visually spellbinding among the many offerings here, it’s also incredibly labor-intensive, requiring hands-on support from numerous assistants, with Da Corte working and overseeing as artist, auteur, wizard and châtelain.
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I’ve had the pleasure of seeing Da Corte’s piece twice now since it’s arrived at the Carnegie International. Stepping into that room the first time felt like walking into an alternate world, one that was indeed “joy with a dash of devilment.” I knew what I was getting into the second time around, but rather than the surprise of such an absurd experience, this time I had this childish feeling that I was in on the surprise for all the first time visitors in the room. Even with the familiar intense glow of the house, I arrived to a slightly different experience; the series of videos playing on the massive screen is a total of three hours, so I got to see new videos that I didn’t see the first time. Massive pieces like this, especially in the contemporary world, can often seem to represent the entirety of an artist if their name is unfamiliar to the viewer. I was intrigued by the article’s brief bio on Da Corte-- and stunned that he’s only 38 years old-- and have done more research on him to better understand his work and philosophy. I was more than happy to find that the sense of joy unquestionably carries throughout the other pieces of his that I’ve seen.
Da Corte is a master at creating this piece. I’m curious to know how much of the fabrication was actually done by him and how much was done by his assistants. Making neon signs is really complicated and requires an incredible amount of skill. Anyway, I loved this piece and how it showed all four seasons. Each side of the house was beautifully done, and the video was even more incredible. I just finished the Video Media Design mini and I loved being able to connect what I saw on the screen to what I learned in classes and workshops. I especially loved the letters that changed on the old fashioned sign. It looked like adobe after effects, which was the most difficult part of the VMD unit. Anyway, I love the piece and from a simply visual perspective, the piece is beautiful. Anybody, even if you don’t enjoy analyzing art, can appreciate this piece and the incredible work that was put into it.
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