Deep ëDimensionsí Sculpture Exhibit Addresses Weighty Ideas but in Playful Way by Deanna Murshed Rarely does one encounter art that is undoubtedly deep and metaphysical in its subject matter and at the same time manages to stay light and playful in its treatment. In other words, itís serious art that does not take itself too seriously. However, this is the delicate balance that has been achieved in the Art Museum of the Americaís latest exhibit, "Sculpture in Four Dimensions." Right around the corner from Constitution Hall and next to the larger Organization of American States is the two-story Spanish colonial building that is home to the Art Museum of the Americas. It is warm and inviting, perhaps because its smaller size and romantic Spanish allureócomplete with red-tiled roof and iron grillesómakes it a less intimidating and refreshing contrast to the giant, marble, statesman-like buildings that otherwise dot the National Mall. Inside is a juried exhibition of 26 artists from the Americas and the Washington Sculptors Group (WSG), in celebration of the 20th anniversary of the WSG. The worksówhich were selected by Ana Maria Escallon, director of the Art Museum of the Americas, and Twylene Moyer, manag ing editor of Sculpture magazineóshare in common an attempt to offer a different perspective of the world, a "fourth dimension." What this fourth dimension is, however, varies from artist to artist, although time and memory appear to be constant themes. In addition to the objective qualities of height, width and depth, all of these artists also seem to suggest that the subjective role of human perception and interpretation of experience adds on this fourth, unseen, element. It is the age-old existential question of what is real, and how can we interpret this reality. Although the weightiness of the subject matter could easily make these pieces err on the side of erudite artistic abstraction, these sculptors have somehow created works that are palatable for even the casual viewer. In many cases, the works themselves are interactive and actually "fun" to experienceónot a word generally used to describe modern sculpture. Many of the materials that the artists have employed are nontraditional: roots, plastic, earth, salt and flour. And the brightly painted gallery wallsóvibrant reds, umbers and bluesóadd a dramatic and contrasting background to the pieces. In "False Theory," David Meyer constructs an epistemological model out of etched glass, earth, a book, aluminum, steel and time. A frosted-glass open-topped "cube" is elevated on a pedestal. Etched on the surface of the two opposing sides of the glass is a formulaic grid of numbers and letters. On the remaining two sides are the words "Theory" and "False," respectively. The narrow width of the scratched surface itself offers the only clear view into the interior of the structure, where an open book rests on a bed of raw earth. This piece forces an engagement with the viewer and begs for interaction. To see the book in the center of the construct, one has to press up against the glass and squint to make out, what are then, only fragments of reality: bits and pieces of printed text that spell out excerpted theories about the benefits of self-restrained and repressed sexuality. One can deduce that Meyer imagines man caught within a frosted matrix of language, time and space, straining from this vantage point to discern truth from false theory. Such creative manipulation of concrete media to illustrate an abstract idea is ingenious. On a more emotional note, Lucia Warck Meister constructs an alternative view of the human "Heart" and "Mouth" in two separate sculptural pieces. In "Heart," a large clump of rusted iron nails are wired together and set on a white cotton pillow. Likewise combining minimalism and conceptualism, "Mouth" is shown as a pair of large iron scissors, opened up to cut, but with the tips padded in cotton, rendering them benign. The scissors lie on a lipstick-stained red velvet pillow, underlining the idea of appearance versus reality. The exhibit also includes some outdoor sculpture in the garden behind the museum. Soledad SalamÈís "Time Suspended" is an interpretation of time, crystallized in the form of amber-colored resin fragments with some of the pieces standing on various planes in the ground and others suspended from a tree. Frozen within each sliver are moments of natural life: butterflies and dragonflies captured in flight and iridescent emerald beetles crawling on twigs and branches. The effect is surreal, yet it fits in so naturally with its outdoor surroundings that some of the crickets and cobwebs are, at closer, glance, real and not an original part of the artwork. Even the bugs are fooled. The artists represented by "Sculpture in Four Dimensions" are strikingly innovative in their simplicity, selection of materials, and execution. And the exhibit offers just the right dose of art for someone needing a quick afternoon cultural fix, minus all the pretentiousness and confinement of a larger museum. "Sculpture in Four Dimensions" runs through Sept. 9 at the Art Museum of the Americas, 201 18th St., NW. For more information, please visit www.oas.org/museum. Deanna Murshed is a contributing writer for The Washington Diplomat.