July 15, 2010: Sculptor Charles LeDray's gallery at the ICA

THE BIG IDEA BEHIND THE ART OF

CHARLES LeDRAY IS SMALL

SCULPTURE.

YOU CAN SEE FOR YOURSELF WITH A

NEW SHOW OF HIS WORK WHICH OPENS

TOMORROW AT THE INSTITUTE OF

CONTEMPORARY ART.

JARED BOWEN HAS HIS PREVIEW.

>> SIZE MATTERS IN THE NEW SHOW

FEATURING THE WORK OF CHARLES

LeDRAY, MAN WHO TOILS IN VARYING

SCALE, ALWAYS ON THE SMALL TO

TINY SIDE.

>> IT'S ALMOST AN ALICE IN

WONDER LAND LIKE RELATIONSHIP TO

THE WORK AS YOU WALK THROUGH AND

YOU'RE JUST WATCHING EVERYTHING

AROUND YOU AND GOING SMALLER AND

BIGGER AND SMALLER AND BIGGER.

>> THE SHOW SURVEYS 25 YEARS OF

THE NEW YORK ARTIST'S SCULPTURE.

FILLED WITH SMALL SCALE CLOTHING

IT'S A FRESH WAY TO LOOK AT

REFORM.

>> IMAGINE THE HUMAN PERSONALITY

IN SCULPT CHURL FORM.

>> LeDRAY'S WORK LENDS ITSELF TO

GREAT FICTION.

CONSIDER THE COMPLICATED PIECES

LIKE PARTY BED, VIVID DETAILS,

AND A BACK STORY OPEN FOR

INTERPRETATION.

>> YOU DON'T JUST SEE A PIECE OF

CLOTHING, YOU SEE A PIECE OF

CLOTHING THAT LOOKS LIKE IT'S

BEEN WORN.

AND ALL OF A SUDDEN YOU ARE

IMAGINING WHAT MIGHT HAVE

HAPPENED TO IT.

WHAT KIND OF A LIFE MIGHT THIS

CLOTHING HAVE HAD.

>> IN OTHER WORKS THOUGH, LeDRAY

HAS A MORE SPECIFIC INTENT.

HE CRAFTS SMALL SCALE LEARN IS

OF THE SIDEWALK SALES THAT ONCE

POPULATED NEW YORK, COMPLETE

WITH BOOKS AND RAUNCHY

MAGAZINES.

>> IT'S A LIVELY HUB OF ACTIVITY

AT THE MARGINS OF THE SOCIETY.

>> HIS EPIC PIECE MEN'S SUIT HAS

DARKER CLOTHES, WHICH PRESENTS A

TIDY DISPLAY WITH MORE INVENTORY

AND A BIT MORE DISORGANIZED AN A

CLUTTERED BACK ROOM.

>> FOR ME, A QUIET, SAD FEELING

ABOUT THEM.

NOT THAT USED CLOTHING IS SAD.

BUT THEY HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY FOR

A NEW LEASE ON LIFE.

THEY'RE IN THE BACK ROOM ABOUT

TO BE IRONED AND PUT OUT ON THE

SHELF.

BETWEEN THE DIM LIGHTING AND THE

DUST AND THE FORLORNNESS THERE,

I THINK SOMETHING ABOUT OUR

IDENTITY IN TRANSITION.

>> THIS IS A GOOD MOMENT TO

POINT OUT THAT LeDRAY MAKES ALL

OF HIS WORK HIMSELF.

ALL CLOTHING, HANGERS AND

FURNITURE.

IN MEN'S SUITS, THE WEARING ON

THE FLOOR, THE SMUDGING ON THE

RACKS AND THE DUST ON THE

CEILING ARE DELIBERATELY PLACED

BY HIM.

>> LOTS OF PEOPLE ARE RETURNING

TO MAKING, TO HANDS ON, TO THE

TOUCH OF THE ARTIST IN THE WORK.

LeDRAY HAS BEEN DOING THIS FOR

25 YEARS ALREADY.

>> AND IT HAS THOUSANDS AND

THOUSANDS OF THE POTS AND THAT

MAKES IT MUCH MORE EXCITING.

>> I THINK OF THIS AS A

CONSTELLATION IN ONE HAND AND

LOOKING AT THE MULTITUDE OF THE

ORGANISMS THAT WE ENCOUNTER.

THESE SEEMS VERY UPBEAT.

THESE ARE CALLED OASIS.

MILK AND HONEY.

VERY EVOCATIVE TITLES, AND THE

BLACK LOW-LYING LONG LINE OF

POTS THROWING SHADOWS.

THREE DIFFERENT FEELINGS

ENCOUNTERED FROM KIND OF THE

SAME -- WORKING OUT THE SAME

IDEA.

>> AS THE ICA WORK WORK WORK

WORK WORK REVEALS, IT'S THE

LITTLE THINGS THAT CREATE THE

BIGGEST IMPACT.

>> Emily: JARED BOWEN IS HERE.

MINIATURES IS A WHOLE WORLD ON

TO ITSELF.

HOW DID THIS BECOME SO POPULAR?

>> I THINK WHAT'S IMPORTANT

ABOUT THE SCALE HERE IS THAT IF

IT WAS A REGULAR SIZE SECOND

HAND STORE YOU WOULDN'T THINK

TWICE ABOUT IT.

BUT BECAUSE IT'S A SMALL STORE,

AND SMALLER CLOTHES AND

EVERYTHING, YOU HAVE TO GET UP

CLOSE AND YOU HAVE TO REALLY

ABSORB IT.

THE REASON I LIKE THE MEN'S SUIT

PIECE SO MUCH IS BECAUSE YOU GET

THIS WHOLE CLAUSTROPHOBIC

FEELING OF THE DIRT AND THE DUST

AND THE GRIMINESS AND THE WHOLE

OTHER PART OF SOCIETY, BECAUSE

YOU'RE SORT OF LORDING OVER IT.

YOU'RE STANDING THERE AND IT'S

IN A VERY QUIET ROOM.

THE THREE ROOMS ARE IN ONE WHOLE

GALLERY SPACE, WHICH IS EMPTY,

IT'S QUIET AND DARK EXCEPT FOR

THE LIGHT THAT LeDRAY HAS

CREATED.

BUT IT FORCES YOU TO CONSIDER

SORT OF THIS WHOLE NATURE OF

SECOND HAND CLOTHES AND

MATERIALISM AND THIS SORT OF

SOCIETY.

>> Emily: AND A TWILIGHT ZONE

EPISODE, WHERE YOU'RE --

>> IT'S NOT A COMFORTABLE FEEL,

BUT THAT'S WHAT I LOVE ABOUT

ART.

IT CREATES A GREAT FEELING IN

YOU.

>> Emily: BUT HE DOES THE OTHER

THINGS, LIKE THE LITTLE CERAMIC

THINGS.

THEY'RE A WHOLE WORLD, BUT IS

THIS ALL HE'S EVER DONE?

>> YEAH.

THE CLOTHING, THE POTS.

HE ALSO SCULPTS IN BONE.

>> Emily: BY THE WAY, THE

BONES --

>> YEAH, THE LITTLE PLANETS, THE

SOLAR SYSTEM THAT YOU SAW THAT'S

HIS SCULPTURE.

I APPRECIATE THIS.

NOT LIKE JEFF KOONTZ OR OTHERS

WHO FARM IT OUT, HE'S DOING ALL

THIS HIMSELF.

WHICH IS WHY IT TAKES YEARS TO

DO PIECES.

LIKE THROWING SHADOWS WHICH IS

THE PREMIERE HERE.

NOBODY HAS EVER SEEN IT BEFORE

BECAUSE HE'S BEEN WORKING ON IT

FOR TWO YEARS.

BUT ALL OF IT, HE THROWS ALL THE

POTS HIMSELF.

SHOWS ALL THE CLOTHES HIMSELF.

>> Emily: DO YOU KNOW WHERE HE'S

FROM?

OH, NO, YOU DON'T KNOW.

>> NEW YORK.

I DO KNOW WHERE HE'S FROM.

IT'S ESCAPED ME.

YOU ALWAYS TRY TO TRIP ME UP.

>> Emily: NO, I DON'T ALWAYS TRY

TO TRIP YOU UP.

>> HE LEARNED TO SHOW FROM HIS

PARENTS.

SPENT A LOT AS A MUSEUM GUARD SO

HE'S INFORMED ABOUT GUARD

THROUGHOUT MOST OF HIS LIFE.

>> Emily: AT THE ICA --

>> THROUGH OCTOBER.

>> Emily: NOT TRYING TO QUIZ

YOU.

THANKS, JARED BOWEN.

TUNE IN TOMORROW AT NOON WHEN

THE GLOBE'S KEVIN CULLEN WILL BE

MY GUEST FOR THE WEEKEND IN

REVIEW AND FOLLOWED BY CALLIE

CROSSLEY AT 1:00.

WHY A COLOMBIAN JOURNALIST HAS

BEEN DENIED A VISA TO STUDY AT

HARVARD.

PLUS OUR PANEL PEEVES.

THAT'S TOMORROW AT 7:00.

NOW STAY TUNED FOR A LIVE

VERSION OF "BASIC BLACK".

I'M EMILY ROONEY.

GOOD NIGHT.