In Five New Shows, Matthew Barney Turns His Abstract Football Film Into Sculptures and Paintings

Making his way through his new studio a few weeks back, Matthew Barney stopped to inspect a strange set of alchemical dumbbells and tried to describe the elements of stress, vulnerability, and frailty he saw embodied in them. “These are some tests for the transition from ceramic to plastic,” he said, while holding up castings of 8-pound weights that showed signs of a metamorphosis in the middle. “I’m always looking for a way to create a kind of conflict between materials,