Caspian Sea
Artist
Maya Lin
(American, born 1959)
CultureAmerican
Date2006
MediumBaltic birch plywood
DimensionsOverall installed with base and sculpture: 46 1/2 x 58 1/2 x 33 in. (118.1 x 148.6 x 83.8 cm)
Caspian Sea, wood sculpture only: 19 x 58 1/2 x 32 7/8 in. (48.3 x 148.6 x 83.5 cm)
Base (Fitted base dimensions): 36 1/2 x 20 x 16 in. (92.7 x 50.8 x 40.6 cm)
Caspian Sea, wood sculpture only: 19 x 58 1/2 x 32 7/8 in. (48.3 x 148.6 x 83.5 cm)
Base (Fitted base dimensions): 36 1/2 x 20 x 16 in. (92.7 x 50.8 x 40.6 cm)
PortfolioBodies of Water
Credit LineGift of the Mowbray Arch Society, 2011
Object number2011.10
Collections
Not on view
DescriptionThis is a sculpture made of baltic birch plywood mounted on a white pedestal. It is horizontally layered birch plywood illustrating a three dimensional representation of the Caspian Sea.Label TextMaya Lin American, b. 1956 Caspian Sea (from the Bodies of Water series), 2006 Baltic birch plywood The surface of Maya Lin’s Caspian Sea is represented by a smooth piece of plywood. It becomes sculptural as the artist methodically layers pieces of laser-cut wood to echo the topography of the Caspian Sea, exaggerating its depth up to 200 times. The eye moves downward as the brain imagines the physical journey to the sea’s lowest point. As one of the largest landlocked bodies of water, the sea sits directly between Europe and Asia and above rich deposits of oil and natural gas. Unfortunately, the extraction of those natural materials has greatly polluted it. Incorporating the theme of environmental stress in her work, Lin says of the oceans, “maybe we pollute because we’ve forgotten. If you look at it, I think you’ll take care of it.” Gift of the Mowbray Arch Society 2011.10 ProvenanceArtist's studio; Pace Gallery; purchased by the Chrysler Museum of Art, 2011Exhibition History"Maya Lin: Systematic Landscapes," Henry Art Gallery, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, April 22 - October 1, 2006; Contemporary Art Museum, St. Louis, Missouri, September 7 - December 30, 2007;Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego, California, March 30 - June 30, 2008; De Young Museum, Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, California, October 25, 2008 - January 8, 2009; Corcoran Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., March 4 - July 12, 2009. (Catalogue; texts by Richard Andrews, John Beardsley and Lawrence Weschler) "Maya Lin: Three Ways of Looking at the Earth, Selections from Systematic Landscapes," PaceWildenstein, 545 West 22nd Street, New York, Sept. 10 - Oct. 24, 2009. "Maya Lin: Bodies of Water," Storm King Art Center, Mountainville, New York, May 9 - November 15, 2009. (Catalogue) "Remix: A Fresh Look At Our Modern And Contemporary Art Collections," Chrysler Museum of Art, Norfolk, Virginia, November 2, 2011 - March 17, 2012. "Maya Lin," Carnegie Museum of Art, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, February 11– May 13, 2012.Published References_Maya Lin: Systematic Landscapes_ (exhibition catalogue). Texts by Richard Andrews, John Beardsley and Lawrence Weschler. Seattle and New Haven: Henry Art Gallery and Yale University Press, 2006. Harmon, Katharine. _The Map as Art: Contemporary Artists Explore Cartography._ New York: Princeton Architecture Press, 2009. _Maya Lin: Storm King Wavefield._ Text by Richard Andrews. Mountainville, New York: Storm King Art Center, 2009. _Maya Lin: Systematic Landscapes_ (exhibition brochure). Washington, D.C.: Corcoran Gallery of Art, 2009.
