Plank piece I and II

While enrolled at the University of Iowa in the early 1970s, Ray focused on the effects of gravity on objects in space, employing heavy construction materials like metal sheets and stone blocks. In 1973 he began to use his own body, subjecting it to many of the same experiments. Documented with the camera, these projects combine elements of sculpture, performance, and photography. Plank piece I and II, which nods to both Bruce Nauman’s videos and Richard Serra’s prop pieces, is the earliest such work. Pinned and wedged against a wall by a plank, the artist’s elevated body folds and flops where wood meets flesh. The orchestration of plank, wall, floor, and figure is at once a study of the contrast between malleability and rigidity and a visceral demonstration of the bodily demands of sculpture.