Review: Broken rules, standout sculpture at Marc Foxx

An untitled group exhibition at Marc Foxx stands out as one of the best sculpture shows in recent memory.

Making no big claims or overblown pronouncements, the nine-artist show demonstrates that unassuming idiosyncrasy is sculpture’s strong suit. This doesn’t distinguish it from painting, photography or video, but that’s part of the point: Contemporary sculpture is not a stand-apart-from-the-world enterprise but a see-for-yourself endeavor best taken case by case. Rule No. 1: The rules don’t apply.

Color, once the provenance of painting, plays an integral role in almost of all of the works, particularly David Musgrave’s pieced-together puddle, Amalia Pica’s suspended windows and Matthew Ronay’s stylized entrails made of gorgeously carved and dyed wood.

Architecture, interior decor and furniture figure prominently, especially in Richard Rezac’s multipurpose, switch-hitting shelf; Mateo Tannatt’s casually elegant arrangement of upside-down drinking glasses, each containing a custom-made scent; and Alessandro Pessoli’s homemade stove, which serves as a stage for down-to-earth dramas.

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The light touch of poetic suggestion replaces the heavy-handedness of authority in Roger Hiorns’ pair of abstract sculptures, each made of steel and perfume. Meaning takes a back seat to in-the-moment experience in Jennifer West’s handcrafted viewing machine.

The same goes for Jason Meadows’ nutty scarecrow, which has the presence of a down-on-his-luck, do-it-yourself rendition of Jonathan Borofsky’s “Ballerina Clown.�

At 8 1/2 feet tall, it’s the largest piece in the show. But its ad hoc construction and everyday materials — scrubbing sponges, shoestrings and six-pack rings — give it the same mongrel charm and underdog empathy as the rest of the works in this smartly selected and beautifully installed exhibition.

Marc Foxx, 6150 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles, (323) 857-5571, through Nov. 28. Closed Sundays and Mondays. www.marcfoxx.com