Sam Durant
Direction Through Indirection (Bronze version), 2003
Bronze, stainless steel
H 66 7/8 x 74 x 59 in
Photo: JC Lett
Further images
Sam Durant is an artist whose works systematically evoke contentious social, political and cultural problems in American history. Direction Through Indirections represents an upside-down tree, placed atop a mirror. This...
Sam Durant is an artist whose works systematically evoke contentious social, political and cultural problems in American history. Direction Through Indirections represents an upside-down tree, placed atop a mirror. This work is a direct reference to Robert Smithson’s Upside Down Trees, to which Sam Durant adds a more symbolic dimension. This tree may be said to represent the genealogical tree and the tree of knowledge, but it is also the symbol of American Indian culture, which in itself is at the origin or root of American culture. Originally created in fiberglass for Upside Down Pastoral Scene, this is a bronze version, especially created to be exhibited out of doors.