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Charles Long — Yellow Blob
Charles Long

Yellow Blob

2012

Yellow Blob (2012) presents a luminous, organically shaped form rendered in tempera paint over aluminum and fiberglass, its bulbous contours hovering somewhere between the biological and the purely fantastical. Measuring an imposing 175.3 × 71.1 × 213.4 cm, the sculpture commands physical presence while simultaneously projecting a disarming lightness, its warm yellow surface radiating an almost cartoonish vitality that rewards prolonged looking. Pipe railings integrate into the composition not as peripheral support but as structural protagonists, grounding the amorphous mass in an industrial vocabulary that sharpens the work's central tension between the engineered and the spontaneous. What distinguishes this piece from conventional sculptural practice is Long's incorporation of touch-sensitive sensors, which activate responses within the work upon contact, transforming the viewer from passive observer into active participant. This interactive dimension reflects Long's longstanding investigation into the phenomenology of bodies in space, the ways in which human presence shapes and is shaped by the objects surrounding it. The work asks its audience to reconsider the boundary between self and sculpture, making the act of touching not incidental but conceptually essential. Signed by the artist, Yellow Blob represents a confident, fully realized statement from a practice that has consistently challenged the distinctions between fine art, design, and embodied experience. Its current placement at Madison Square Park situates it within a democratic, publicly accessible context, yet its sophistication and physical scale make it equally suited to major private and institutional collections. This is a work that holds its ground in any environment, demanding engagement on both intellectual and sensory terms.

Medium
Tempera paint, aluminum and fiberglass, pipe railings, touch-sensitive sensors
Overall
Signed
Yes

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About this work

Charles Long, Yellow Blob, 2012

Yellow Blob (2012) presents a luminous, organically shaped form rendered in tempera paint over aluminum and fiberglass, its bulbous contours hovering somewhere between the biological and the purely fantastical. Measuring an imposing 175.3 × 71.1 × 213.4 cm, the sculpture commands physical presence while simultaneously projecting a disarming lightness, its warm yellow surface radiating an almost cartoonish vitality that rewards prolonged looking. Pipe railings integrate into the composition not as peripheral support but as structural protagonists, grounding the amorphous mass in an industrial vocabulary that sharpens the work's central tension between the engineered and the spontaneous. What distinguishes this piece from conventional sculptural practice is Long's incorporation of touch-sensitive sensors, which activate responses within the work upon contact, transforming the viewer from passive observer into active participant. This interactive dimension reflects Long's longstanding investigation into the phenomenology of bodies in space, the ways in which human presence shapes and is shaped by the objects surrounding it. The work asks its audience to reconsider the boundary between self and sculpture, making the act of touching not incidental but conceptually essential. Signed by the artist, Yellow Blob represents a confident, fully realized statement from a practice that has consistently challenged the distinctions between fine art, design, and embodied experience. Its current placement at Madison Square Park situates it within a democratic, publicly accessible context, yet its sophistication and physical scale make it equally suited to major private and institutional collections. This is a work that holds its ground in any environment, demanding engagement on both intellectual and sensory terms.

Medium
Tempera paint, aluminum and fiberglass, pipe railings, touch-sensitive sensors
Dimensions
overall: 175.3 x 71.1 x 213.4 cm
Year
2012
Signed
Hand-signed by the artist
Seen at
Madison Square Park

Related themes

Mohn Art Collective

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