The Room Moved, The Way Blocked (Stage 1) at Dikeou Collection

Wade Guyton’s installation Untitled, The Room Moved, The Way Blocked is a simple formation brimming with art historical and conceptual constructs. Made of parquet flooring, the block was specifically recreated by the artist to occupy a space at Dikeou Collection, and measures 12’ x 12’ x 5’. While it immediately comes across as intrusive, the block is actually quite engaging as it is meant to be climbed upon to continue through the galleries, sparking excitement and a sense of play. Beyond the instant gratification of scaling the block is a very clever yet cerebral analysis on minimalism and conceptual art. As an early work it also occupies a unique place in Guyton’s oeuvre, thus making it a compelling talking point about his evolution as an artist.

Untitled (Stage) at Hunter College, 1998

Bill Arning, who at Guyton’s Hunter M.F.A exhibition saw an earlier installation, Untitled (Stage), that preceded Untitled, The Room Moved, The Way Blocked, wrote in BOMB Magazine that it “points to a smartly evasive young conceptualist.” Since dubbed as a post-conceptualist, Guyton’s block takes the guiding principle of conceptual art - where an idea has priority over the object - and turns it into something that has to be physically grappled with as well as mentally. From Duchamp’s Fountain to Baldessari’s I Am Making Art, conceptualism has done much to expand the definition of art, but also distanced some of the audience with its perceived lack of aesthetic and narrative attributes. By adding the interactive element to The Room Moved…, Guyton transcends that analytical barrier and presents a work that can be appreciated by brainy connoisseurs and hyperactive children alike. Curator Devon Dikeou states the work is a “humoristic, if not metaphoric path to the fatalism of Modernism and Modern living.”

Guyton was only 26 years old when he initially created the first iteration of the block while studying under Robert Morris, a distinguished artist and theorist in the conceptual and minimalist genres. One can see Morris’ influence during this time through the use of large geometric sculpture and its ability to reinterpret space (this image is particularly resonant) . These days Wade is most known for his big monochrome inkjet paintings, but his engagement with sculpture and use of wood in particular is a longstanding part of his repertoire. Works like Inverted Woodpile from 2002, his X Sculpture from 2003, and his own studio floor which he recreated for his 2007 solo show at Petzel Gallery, demonstrate how the wooden installations were significant in generating the motifs and methods utilized in 2-dimensional form. In fact, a lot of his early wood sculptures do not exist anymore because he had no place to store them in his tiny studio on East 2nd Street.

X Sculpture installed at High Desert Test Sites 2, 2003

The block is one of the first installations by Guyton sold to a collector, and the fact that these early sculptures are rare and this is the only artwork by him on public view in Colorado makes it all the more special. Part of Devon Dikeou’s mission as a collector is to acquire works “in breadth,” meaning she wants to highlight as many facets of an artist’s output as possible. A Guyton collage resides in Dikeou’s installation Not Quite Mrs. De Menil’s Liquor Closet. It is small, delicate, and perched high on a shelf; it couldn’t be more opposite from The Room Moved…, yet the two works perfectly encapsulate the fascinating progression of Wade Guyton’s craft.

— Hayley Richardson

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