Capsule , oak , steel , India Ink , sculpture
The success of Maxwell Hartley ’ s work is that it connects with the viewer on a subliminal level . What , at fi rst , appears to be simply a found-object sculpture is , in actuality , a desperate plea to abstain from the disposable nature of a mass-produced society . His epic sculptures , using indstrial materials like steel brackets , epoxy , urethane , and wooden joists , instruct the viewer to build his or her own life with structural integrity . His handcrafted guitars are axes arming humanity with majestic musical weapons with which to combat consumerism .
Hartley ’ s found-object sculptures are the key to understanding his plight . His use of non-art items and thrift store treasures is so subtly serene that the viewer does not realize he or she is seeing something wholly new and profound . His assemblages are not intended to shock the viewer in the way the Dadaists used taxidermy and urinals . Instead , Hartley becomes a didact of the discarded and asks the viewer , “ What makes something worth keeping around for a while different than that which falls to the wayside to crumble ?”
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Zeebass , Florida cherry wood , photo by Jason Ruznock
In the 2013 sculpture Hail Mary Full of Grease , one of his found objects is a replica of a Virgin Mary statue from the Christian religious tradition . The original statue was “ borrowed ” from a neighbor ’ s yard and returned after a mold had been made . The new statue has the Virgin cast in ebony porcelain , sitting atop a weathered , vintage milk jug . A mechanism inside the milk jug allows for water to fl ow over the Virgin , creating a never-ending font of renewal . This is not just “ art as commentary ” on humankind ’ s addiction to the disposable . This is art with a message . Hail Mary Full of Grease reminds the viewer that just because an object is discarded , it does not necessarily mean it disintegrates . Materials from nature may biodegrade over time , but materials created by humans are not as quick to decay . Landfi lls are tombs fi lled with the expendable . Hartley ’ s use of the Virgin Mary symbol , combined with the fl owing water mechanism , conveys a sense of eternity , spiritual or otherwise . Indeed , it suggests that all things , humans and objects , live forever .
Dark Matter Sewing Box , a piece from 2015 , is another example of Harley ’ s exceptional found-object art . This piece , deceptively small at 16 inches in height , literally carries the weight of not just the
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