Douglas Abdell
Kranae-Aekyad, 1980
Steel, paint, welding
Gift of the Price R. and flora A. Reid Foundation
Abdell invites us to investigate his sculpture Kranae-Aekyad as though we are explorers discovering a hidden monument. Perhaps it calls to mind the timeworn standing stones of prehistoric Europe. Maybe its triangular form resonates with the shapes of the great pyramids at Giza. The irregular edges of the structure might suggest an ancient grave marker, a broken obelisk, or a weathered Mesopotamian stele.
Abdell’s title, Kranae-Aekyad, further encourages our inquisitiveness as we consider the sculpture. He invented his own language to describe and title his works. This enhances our experience of the sculpture as something rich, layered, and enigmatic. Like an untranslated hieroglyph, it frustrates our desire to know at the same time it stimulates our imaginations.
What language does the title Kranae-Aekyad come from? If you find it hard to place, that’s because artist Douglas Abdell invented a language of his own, called “Phoenaes.” Abdell’s interest in language traces back to his own mixed heritage. His mother was Italian, his father Lebanese. He conceived of “Phoenaes” when writing poetry. He used the language with the intention of “trying to remember what was happening when he made these particular sculptures and speaking about it in a language and rhythm that wants to approach their nature.”
The matte black surface of Kranae-Aekyad strengthens its mysterious and commanding presence. Abdell felt that blackness gave a “visual weight” to his sculptures, generating “an implosive weight at its highest degree.”