The scene at 2739 Edwin coalesces around Robert Bailey’s odd microcosms.

Saturday, October 12th was the rare opportunity to gaze into the world of Robert Bailey. “.”—a presentation of his work—opened at 2739 Edwin, and this Saturday, October 26th  is the final chance to see it before it closes. The closing will include an artist’s talk at 7 p.m., which may offer a perspective on the extraordinary, colorful and somewhat disturbing works on display.

A styrofoam city under sand? A diamond in the rough? The world inside a snow globe?

Bailey’s work employs both light and playful materials, as well as disturbingly poured organic latex.

You might think, as I did, that Bailey’s artist statement, which refers to, “The blank piece of paper, an empty canvas, the unfilled void, these are the starting point for my work,” indicated a show that would be fairly minimalist. Nothing could be further from the truth. Bailey’s installation is a riot of color, texture and structure, signifying…nothing? “I wondered what it meant to fill that void, to invent a reality. What is the first element? Is it light or darkness? Is it shaped by time and space like our own reality? Are there other configurations unknown to us or that we can’t even conceive?”

Bailey has moved away from his origins and great success as a painter, to explore this new realm of meaning(lessness).

Burnt cardboard sculpture?

My discussion with gallery curator Steve Panton shed light on Bailey’s statement and work, underlining Bailey’s attempt to make work that meant nothing. As an artist, the difficulty of that objective is astounding, and Bailey has been in deep meditation on the subject for years, building up these astonishing creations from somewhere, or maybe nowhere.

The work has the feeling of small worlds, the exhibit like a tiny, disturbing amusement park.

A textural fest.

Another alien gadget.

Another portion of work on display deals in carefully stacked glass and serviceware items.

Certainly, an artist talk worth attending, to gain traction on a slippery notion, and an exhibit not to be missed!

2739 Edwin Gallery: 2739 Edwin St., Hamtramck; 2739edwin.com