Photos By Gail

Fred Tomaselli (born 1956) is known for his unique hybrid paintings and collages, layering cutout elelments with passages of paint. Big Stack (2009 Photo Collage, Acrylic and Resin on Wood Panel)) is one of the tallest works that Tomaselli has created: its peak corresponds to the ceiling height of his former studio in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. Composed of images of speakers and amplifiers, the Stack seems to extend indefinitely into the starry night sky. The work resembles a kind of cosmic radio tower — a source of communication, or perhaps miscommunication — and serves as a contemporary Tower of Babel.

Photographed in the Brooklyn Museum, Brooklyn NY.

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