An air of everyday horror pervades, as in the collaborative assemblage Queen Anne, 1980, which emanates a low-level buzz from a jerrican-as-television sharing the surface of a cheap demilune table with an ashtray sporting the work’s title in gold letters. Its materials establish the American domestic setting, and its sound recalls that of hearing a TV set from the next room—the tones are not static, but not quite recognizable either. It seems relevant that the artists refer to this sculpture as a “mixed-media assemblage,” rather than picking apart its varied components. Broadcast entertainment and industry toxically conjoin in the home.

via ArtForum / read more here: http://www.artforum.com/picks/id=58662

Kienholz Televisions is on view through April 2, 2016. 

IMAGE: Edward & Nancy Reddin Kienholz, Queen Anne, 1980, mixed media assemblage, 69 x 30 x 17 in. (175.3 x 76.2 x 43.2 cm)