METAL TURNS TO FORESTS IN RICK BACH’S SCULPTURES

by Emma Riva
Photos courtesy of ZYNKA Gallery

Silver tendrils emerge from a scarlet field. A serpent slithers out of darkness. A lone rusted monument punctuates the air. These are just some of the things viewers can see in Rick Bach’s Forests, now open at ZYNKA Gallery. Bach’s father owned an auto shop, which began his lifelong interested in metal that now translates into his artwork. Though his body of work spans multiple mediums, Forests is all steel on aluminum, save for a series of sculptures in the center of the space.

The pieces in Forests all follow a similar format: three-dimensional metal sculpture on an aluminum square. Bach plays with different sizes, though, and the show is a fascinating look into how the same formula can result in different things. The show’s diversity of size is what ties it together, in many ways. The tiny square Seeds series on one far wall creates a more dynamic composition in the space than the show might have otherwise. The 12×12 works were some of my favorites, and I felt works like Snakesoup For the Soul and Famous Blue Raincoat, where the background is a matte color. Bach also noted that nothing in the show is flat. Though the works are two-dimensional, none of the surfaces are entirely flat. The undulating metal shapes create a sense of movement on each panel.

Though Bach uses steel, the show also doesn’t lean too hard into tying the industrial materials to Pittsburgh and producing the sort of industrial kitsch that sometimes shows up in our art community. The names are absurd and whimsical, a case where the title really does add something to the work—viewers are unlikely to ever see an art piece called Vertical Bonesaw or Corpuscular Shard anywhere else. Bach also noted that nothing in the show is flat. Though the works are two-dimensional, none of the surfaces are entirely flat. The undulating metal shapes create a sense of movement on each panel. There’s a meditative quality to each of the sculptures, and even for those who missed the opening, viewing it quietly might open up more interpretations and evocations.

The opening itself was a colorful group of guests, one of the few rooms in which I’ve witnessed both a pair of Playboy Bunny ears and a mohawk. The crowd was a credit to Bach’s decades of bohemian status in Pittsburgh—he and fellow artist Michael Lotenero created the logo for the Beehive, Pittsburgh’s first coffeehouse. Lotenero and Bach share some similarities in their art practice.

Both have a skull motif, and in both shows at ZYNKA there’s a three-dimensional component to the work. But Bach uses much brighter colors, and where Lotenero’s work thrives in its gradients and shadows, Bach’s is best when it’s stark, leaning into the strength of the shapes and the boldness of the colors. One of the most striking is Midnight Snake, a dark panel with silver and blue metal crawling out of the blackness.

Jeff Jarzynka’s ability as a curator really shines in this exhibition. Because on the surface, each of Bach’s pieces is so similar to each other, Jarzynka’s design of the space had to be dynamic and engaging. His presentation of the work through arranging different sizes together and create different micro-environments within the gallery makes a strong example of how collaboration between a gallerist and an artist creates a better experience for guests and potential buyers.

Though every piece of Bach’s made of the same basic materials, each one has its own character. In that sense, the work is like natural objects—leaves, blades of grass, or flower petals within a forest. The tension between the hardness of metal and the soft aliveness of nature is a throughline in Forests, reminding viewers that though we associate metal with manmade objects, it comes from the earth, just as human beings do.  

Forests is up through January 10 at ZYNKA Gallery (904 Main Street).

This month’s articles are produced with support from the Frick Pittsburgh in conjunction with their landmark exhibition The Scandinavian Home: Landscape and Lore. Get cozy as the seasons change with David and Susan Warner’s collection of paintings, tapestries, and sculptures from around the Nordic region. Tickets now on sale.