Matthew Barney: Drawing Restraint September 16, 2006

This series of works by conceptual artist Matthew Barney is centered on the conflicted relationship between human beings and their cultural environment, as well as the struggles of energies within the human body. The comprehensive exhibition includes sculptures, drawings, photographs, video installations and documents from 'Drawing Restraint 1-8.' The 'Drawing Restraint' series, created between 1988 and 1993, is based on a number of obstacles Barney devised to impede the act of artmaking, specifically drawing. His self-imposed modes of resistance included bouncing on a trampoline, climbing ramps while attached to tethers and pushing blocking sleds--all while attempting to draw.