Ntlomaw/WhY Installation, 6 feet x 7 feet x 25 feet, steel, 1997 ||| The WhY (Ntlomaw) series was inspired by Goldner’s research in Mali. Burnt onto the steel panels, the ntloma/Y-stick form is an architectural pillar, in the form of a forked stick used as the support for traditional Malian adobe houses.
Basics, 12 feet x 14 feet x 4 feet, steel, 1993 ||| Words and definitions that underlie American political beliefs are cut thru the steel surfaces of the panels using a welding torch as a drawing instrument. By doing so, Janet combines art and poetry, bringing together the tactile, spatial forms of sculpture with elegant, succinct comments on contemporary social issues.
Ally, 4 feet x 2 feet, steel, 1993 ||| Ally is one of the panels from Basics. Another tablet bears the definitions for “life,” “liberty,” “happiness,” and “pursuit.” These words are so common that we no longer pay attention to them although they continue to define American political mythology.
ZigZag installation, Art Resources Transfer, NYC, 2003 ||| Some elements of the ZigZag Installation ( shown in the Free Standing Sculptures section) are suspended from the ceiling.
Can We Acknowledge? (indoors), 4 feet x 25 feet x 4 feet, steel, 2002 ||| This work is an indoor sculpture in the vein of the Public Sculpture of the same name.
Goldner’s sculptures thrive on small tensions between light and shadow, positive and negative, organic and precise, playful and serious, political and personal.