Chiarello's sculpture draws grace from steel

Fluid motion. Weightlessness. Grace. These are some of the conceptual considerations that spring to mind when looking at artwork by Michael Chiarello, in spite of the solid steel that is used as the raw material for pieces by the Bridgehampton sculptor.

And there’s one other thing to know about Mr. Chiarello’s art: It’s bound to surprise.

Like the best surprises, the unexpected doesn’t reveal itself at first glance. For instance, a sculpture installed alongside Montauk Highway in Bridgehampton starts out as visually compelling when viewed from the sidewalk. But if the viewer happens to walk past the work while heading toward Exhale Spa or Town & Country Real Estate, the sculpture seems to magically expand and reach toward the viewer.

A wall-mounted sculpture currently installed at the Hampton Road Gallery in Southampton holds a different kind of surprise. When viewed face forward, the linear lines of the bars form an arresting interplay between the space it occupies and the vacant fields beyond it. The surprise is found in the side view. Tucked inside the horizon metal bars are flashes of red that cannot be seen without changing the vantage point.

For Mr. Chiarello, it’s important that his sculpture is interesting from all angles. Equally important is the way the artwork interacts with the space. His ultimate aim is to create pieces that capture fragments of ideas that transform the space around them.

Changing the space includes the areas beyond the sculpture, Mr. Chiarello explained. The works are composed to include interesting shadows cast by the angled steel. The way areas are viewed through the spaces created by the network of steel appears different when framed by the artwork.

“I don’t like when you look at a piece and you’ve seen it all after the first glimpse,” Mr. Chiarello said. “I want the sculpture to change every time and to keep every angle different so it’s always interesting.”

Whether the sculpture is completely solid, has separate pieces installed against a wall to form a single work or is a freestanding piece of sculpture set on a lawn, a sense of rapid motion is always part of the equation. Mr. Chiarello accomplishes a sense of swiftness by creating unusual angles with the material or selecting paints that reflect or shimmer.

The artwork itself is composed to fragment light and direct it onto the surrounding surfaces. Whether the light is from the sun or artificial appliances, shadows keep the piece interesting and ever-changing, Mr. Chiarello said. He often works in series. But no matter what, he strives to push the work in new directions and keep evolving as an artist.

“I always want to progress from the last piece,” he said. “I think a lot about the piece and what works and how it can change a space.”

Lately, he’s introduced more and more color into his art. The steel is powder-coated in colors selected to accomplish his artistic goals. The latest series includes holographic paint used on cars and trucks that is specially designed to change before the viewer’s eyes as the vehicle moves.

In another new piece, Mr. Chiarello applied a white, delicate glaze to simulate porcelain and conjure weightlessness for a solid, cube-like sculpture.

The exhibition at the Hampton Road Gallery is the first solo show for Mr. Chiarello, who graduated with a BFA from the Maryland Institute in 2001. When not making his own art, he works as a sculpture assistant at Nova’s Art Project in Bridgehampton. His studio is located in a portion of one of the barns on the sprawling grounds.

Mr. Chiarello has exhibited in group shows at galleries in Toronto, Canada, Baltimore, Maryland, Omaha, Nebraska and in Manhattan. He was part of the Florida Outdoor Sculpture show in Winter Haven and exhibited in the Sculpture Park at the Merriweather Post Pavilion in Columbia, Maryland. He has private collectors in East Hampton, Southampton and in Maryland.

Locally, he’s collaborated with artist Almond Zigmund for an installation in Riverhead, exhibited a large-scale installation at Silas Marder Gallery, and was part of the Artists Against Abuse exhibition at the Ross School last year. He typically has a sculpture installed directly outside the Hampton Road Gallery throughout the year. The sculpture changes every few months.

A reception for the exhibition, “Recent Works by Michael Chiarello,” will be held on Saturday from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Hampton Road Gallery, 36 Hampton Road, Southampton. The show will remain on view through July 4. For information, call 204 -9704. The artist’s work can also be viewed at http://mikechiarello.com.