James Lee Byars : The Diamond Floor

23 Jun-22 Sep 2015

Overview

Originally created for Fondation Cartier pour l’art Contemporain, Paris in 1995, “The Diamond Floor” (1995) is a sculptural incarnation of “Five Points Make a Man”, a conceptual motif that appears in many of the artist’s drawings, sculptures and performances. For “The Diamond Floor”, five large crystal diamonds are placed on the floor in an arrangement that forms “a slightly compressed pentagon.” The shape implies a “man” as each diamond represents a head, two arms and two legs. The work is a manifestation of Byars’ love for ephemeral beauty, perfect form, and the apparent contradictions between the physical and spiritual.