Barry Feldman’s building of “Boxes” has expanded over the years to constitute a major body of work recognized for the seriousness of its creativity and the depth of the art history context the pieces reflect; as well as for the playfulness of transforming everyday objects into visual narratives.

Bob Dylan wrote his song lyrics constantly – at any place and at any time – making brilliant poetry out of words that are ordinary, surprising, exotic and essential. Barry Feldman works in the same way with his visual material – ordinary and surprising objects, whole or in fragments, constantly composed into finished pieces that are poetry, theatre and sculpture. He constructs a “stage” in the form of a box upon which his visual ideas perform.

One element in the Gallery Ro show is the “Portholes” series, a condensed approach to the artist’s work. Each small square box, or cube, is faced with a stainless steel circle or ring, a “porthole” through which to view the objects – made of wood, metal, vinyl, plastic, glass, wire, etc. – in performance. These boxes function like the first television sets in the 1950’s and ‘60’s, the most valued piece of furniture in the family living room. Through these portholes, or early-era TV screens, Barry Feldman invites the viewer to eavesdrop on the shipboard romances, the domestic dramas, and the moments of serene beauty in the lives of his beloved objects.