Gallery 554’s current art show features, according to its invitation, a “manifestation of EXOTIC-ORGANIC-SPIRITUAL imagery that circumvents the norm.” This advertisement is both enticing and true. Featured artist, Sean Turrell’s wooden sculptures transfix the eyes while forcing them to examine each texture, line, and form of his work. Four of Turrell’s pieces emphasize the strength, beauty, curvature, and natural imperfections of both his medium and the female body and spirit.

Turrell’s pieces speak powerfully without using words and convey emotions without displaying expressions. While Turrell’s pieces are all faceless, they exhibit a collective emotional state touching on the trials and joys experienced by women on a universal level. We see sex, pregnancy, childbirth, bliss, and pain in his pieces, all displayed with allusiveness.

Turrell avoids sharp edges and straight lines to depict the fluidity of released human emotion. The current of textures and color contrasts evoke a calming feeling, while the delicacies of the rounded forms elicit natural feminine characteristics.

Turrell positioned a sculpture entitled “23 days” directly in front of the doorway of the gallery so it is “in your face,” as he explained. A large mahogany vulva welcomes every guest at Gallery 554. The title, more than its physical appearance, explains the symbolic value of the piece. A woman’s cycle consists of 28 days - five of them menstruation, and the remainder womb preparation. By naming the piece “23 days” it seems that Turrell’s mahogany vagina is a representation of the life-giving-stage of the cycle.

However, this is more than just a larger-than-life image of woman’s vulva. The rough outer section and smooth interior of the piece seem to represent the modern woman’s spirit: tough on the outside and tender on the inside. In a way, this piece not only represents womankind with her reproductive possibilities, but also the protective shield she wears to guard her sensitive inner self from the tumultuous world around her.

Ten feet behind “23 Days” is a sculpture so alluring, it took the majority of my visit to inspect. A faceless upper body of a pregnant woman carved into a large mahogany log sits on a white pedestal. It is entitled, “She was torn.” The woman holds a baby in one of her arms, and with the exception of her large round belly, all other body parts are indistinguishable. Most of the sculpture is sanded smooth and the rich color of the dark wood adds to its warmth. The piece is about three feet tall and equal in circumference. The massiveness of the sculpture demonstrates, among other things, the dimension of a woman’s spirit, when torn.

As Turrell explained, the woman was, or is, torn both physically and emotionally. Most obviously, she was torn through the physical act of childbirth, evident from the infant she now holds. This physical tearing is momentary and does not compare with the emotional torment she will experience. While she holds her new baby in one arm, her womb is full with a second. Her inner conflict arises because she wonders, according to Turrell, how she will be able to love both her children equally. This piece emphasizes the power of the feminine through its display of reproductive abilities and the emotional challenges involved with this natural process.

Interestingly, the large branch used to create this sculpture was torn from its tree in the midst of a tropical storm. Turrell created a multi-layered metaphor that appropriately displays both the trials a woman experiences as a mother and the sensitive and forceful essence of the most powerful matriarch- Mother Nature.

On either side of the beautiful mahogany goddess, stand two pillar-like sculptures, each reaching 7 feet in height, and ranging from 10 to 12 inches in width. In this narrow space, there is fluid movement, majestic curves, and interlocking dark and light shades of wood that draw the eye from top to bottom, from bottom to top, and down yet again.

On the left is the sculpture entitled, “On top of her pedestal she screams.” The faceless head of woman graces the top of the piece. Over her head rests a crown of flowing hair. There are no distinguishable body parts, just sanded sections of wood circling down towards the base. Though the wood is immovable, and solid, you can see movement. The lines follow the curves of a woman- the sway in her step and the motion of her mane. The title suggests frustration or anger, but the piece itself exudes solitary indignation and freedom of expression.

On the right stands, “The Dance” - equally beautiful in its lines and interlocking forms, but almost absent of all perceptible human parts, except for the recognizable few, which are phallic in appearance. Dark shades of rounded-off, tubular shapes are placed in-between area of the light colored wood, nestled gently in its crevices. Turrell represents intercourse in this piece without vulgarity or intrusive sexuality. The sculpture elicits grace and the true beauty of a man and a woman in the act of making love.

While Turrell explains some of his work using scientific terms referring to the mystery of the human anatomy, there is more to his art than simply the biology of the woman. Each piece speaks myriads about the power of the feminine and the spirituality of womanhood and motherhood. They elicit movement and mobility of both emotion and action. Turrell allows the natural color and imperfections of the found pieces of wood to remain authentic, demonstrating life’s intricacies without idealism or unrealistic perfection. Moreover, while reproduction is an overshadowing element of his work, his understanding of the essence of femininity shines through. For women and men, his sculptures both teach and affect the humanity within us all.

Sarah Miller

Reviewing the Arts; Sep 9, 2006