1991

In the Same Bind (#227)

American, 1943 - 2025

John McQueen expresses himself through the vocabulary of baskets. Not tied to the tradition or function that baskets bring with them, he pushes boundaries and expectations to create organic, handwoven conceptual sculpture. The presence of McQueen’s hand is evident in the appliquéd bark squares of In the Same Bind (#227), a superb example of the artist’s large-scale work that incorporates text. Volumetric and cavernous, this object is a construction of irregular geometric shapes and random lines, and the use of spruce bark, elm, and string affirms the significance of trees in McQueen’s work. Revealing the artist’s love of word play, the words “read” and “just” (or “readjust”) are woven into the form, conveying an idea that is ever so relevant to our times.