In his 70s, Caspar Henselmann has been around for some time as an artist.  But clearly he has not lost a sense of fun and humor for his art yet without it becoming cartoonish in a Red Grooms sort of way.  For all the light subject matter Henselmann is equally serious about his sculpture as evidenced in the formal qualities.  The genius in this work is the correct mix between both of these aspects.  A piece like Starship Enterprise is an amusing take on the television show but the abstraction and formal qualities save it from becoming simply a parody piece.  Once you move beyond the title and obvious references other interpretive possibilities open up. The show is composed of small pieces arranged on shelves, wall pieces and larger free standing work arranged on the floor.  There is a lot to digest here considering the confines of the gallery and the nature of the sculpture.  Given this the show would have been better with a third less of the pieces.

Caspar Henselmann, Starship Enterprise EU, 2007, aluminum, 44 X 40 X 38 in

Caspar Henselmann, Heartbeat of Expanding Universe (EU), 2003-05, wood, 74.75 X 47.25 X 31.5 in

Caspar Henselmann, Crunched EU, 2006-07, aluminum, 48 X 42 X 33 in