Matthew Barney Unveils 'ZONE DEFENSE: Old Snowmass Parallax' Sculpture in Aspen for AIR 2026
The Facts
Matthew Barney presents a new large-scale sculpture, ZONE DEFENSE: Old Snowmass Parallax, for AIR 2026 at Rose Ranch in Aspen, Colorado. The work is sited on a field marked by athletic end zone markers and four diagonal axes intersecting at the central object, which features two abstract structures cast in stainless steel and aluminum, frozen in a collision. At the point of contact, two American football jerseys are entangled—Jack Tatum's in black and silver, and Darryl Stingley's in red, white, and blue—referencing the historic 1978 collision that left Stingley paralyzed. The sculpture extends Barney's investigation into physical endurance, mythology, and material transformation, following his 2025 performance TACTICAL parallax at the 10th Mountain Division Field House. The work is curated by Daniel Merritt and Vic Brooks.
The Signal
ZONE DEFENSE: Old Snowmass Parallax functions as a freeze-frame of the choreography from TACTICAL parallax, performed by David Thomson and Raphael Xavier as Stingley and Tatum. By situating this historic incident within the mythologies of the American West, Barney continues his exploration of systemic violence in American culture, a theme central to his recent projects SECONDARY (2023) and Redoubt (2018). For collectors and curators, this sculpture represents a significant addition to Barney's ongoing narrative, offering a tangible, monumental artifact that crystallizes the physical and symbolic tensions of his performance-based practice.
- Artists: Matthew Barney
- People: Daniel Merritt, Vic Brooks, Jack Tatum, Darryl Stingley, David Thomson, Raphael Xavier
- Galleries: Gladstone Gallery
- Locations: Aspen
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