Stratagems

the vibe

Tara Donovan’s practice is defined by a rigorous engagement with systems of accumulation and transformation. Working with ubiquitous, mass-produced materials—plastic cups, rubber bands, paper plates, and other everyday objects—she subjects them to processes of repetition and aggregation that fundamentally alter our perception of them. In her most recent body of work, Stratagems, Donovan extends this investigation into a direct dialogue with architecture and the built environment. Constructed entirely from many thousands of recycled CDs, these vertically oriented sculptures function as responsive surfaces, registering subtle shifts in light, atmosphere, and perspective. As daylight changes and weather patterns move across the city, the works continually visually reconfigure our perception of them. Installed within the glass Annex gallery at Transamerica Pyramid Center, Stratagems enters into an especially resonant exchange with its surroundings. The sculptures mirror the vertical ambition and reflective skin of the skyscraper itself, transforming the gallery into a site where material, architecture, and urban scale converge. In this way, Transamerica Pyramid Center is not simply a backdrop, but a critical partner in the exhibition of the work — an alignment that exemplifies ICA SF’s nomadic model and its capacity to situate contemporary art in contexts that expand how we experience both art and our city. “My most recent sculpture series titled Stratagems are deeply connected…