Redwalls. Wanker: “Easily the boldest and most original work in our initial exhibit. McCoy is rendering the game as it appeared in his mind’s eye, while simultaneously commenting on the interchangeable, replaceable, anonymous character of most NFL players. Only the Game is singular and significant: the players run together into an indistinct mass of flesh that has been brutalized for our pleasure. Their massive bodies join into a single nightmarish entity; some limbs stretching impossibly as an expression of the tremendous force brought by individuals acting in unison, others disappearing completely. And of course, there is the title, which compares these human souls to inanimate walls: broad barriers fashioned from individual bricks. But this kind of subtextual insight should not distract us from the brilliance of the surface, which depicts the Chargers’ fourth-quarter offensive collapse in dramatic fashion. Quarterback Philip Rivers has just completed a very short, very conservative pass in an effort to protect both his team’s lead and the ball, but as soon as the receiver turns upfield to run, he finds himself threatened by over half the opposing team. Six red jerseys stand between him and forward progress. His nearest potential blocker is actually behind him, dancing like a drunken Cossack. There is nowhere to go but down. A promising work from a coach who has, so far, not shown much promise."
Posted September 16, 2016