Matthew Barney's 'ZONE DEFENSE: Old Snowmass Parallax' to Debut at AIR 2026 in Aspen
On July 8, 2026, Sadie Coles HQ announced that Matthew Barney will present a new large-scale sculpture, 'ZONE DEFENSE: Old Snowmass Parallax,' as part of AIR 2026 in Aspen, Colorado, running July 27–31. The work is installed at Rose Ranch, adjacent to the site of last year's performance at the 10th Mountain Division Field House. It comprises two abstract structures in stainless steel and aluminum, frozen mid-collision and entangled with the American football jerseys of Jack Tatum (black and silver) and Darryl Stingley (red, white, and blue), referencing the 1978 on-field collision that left Stingley paralyzed. The piece is positioned on a field scored with athletic end zone markers that delineate four diagonal axes intersecting at the sculpture, recalling the parallax diagram used in Barney's prior film 'SECONDARY' (2023) and the performance 'TACTICAL parallax' (2025).
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For collectors and curators, the work crystallizes Barney's long-standing investigation into the ritualized violence of American sports and mythology, now set against the mythic backdrop of the Rocky Mountains. The sculpture functions as a 'freeze-frame' of a choreographed collision performed by dancers David Thomson and Raphael Xavier, preserving a moment of suspended impact. This installation reinforces Barney's position as a leading voice in contemporary sculpture and performance, linking his 2024 Fondation Cartier retrospective to new site-specific ambitions in the American West.
- Artists: Matthew Barney
- People: Daniel Merritt, Vic Brooks, Kevin Haynie, Gemma Goette, David Thomson, Raphael Xavier, Jack Tatum, Darryl Stingley
- Galleries: Sadie Coles HQ
- Locations: Aspen
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