In almost any other room in Maine, Keen's wooden platforms and staircases would be more successful. In the Coleman Burke, however, the second conceptual piece of "Nowhere From Here" appears as a formality, or even a space-filler. Raw plywood structures are carefully assembled into pathways and bridges leading in unusual directions, but the effect is more confounding than mythical. White wooden barriers are set at random points in the room, and the structures abut and climb them without much invitation. There are a couple exceptions — one platform climbs high enough to mount the room's exposed pipes; another balances between a plywood pyramid and the window sill, where its promised volume projects out into the mill's idyllic courtyard. Ultimately, however, the structures distract from the exhibit's more impressive half, and might be better applied to a smaller room, where their task might be less Herculean.
Nicholas Schroeder can be reached at nschroeder@phx.com.
"NOWHERE FROM HERE" | installation by Richard Keen | Through July 13 | Coleman Burke Gallery, Fort Andross Mill, 14 Maine St, Brunswick | 207.725.5222 | colemanburke.com
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Museum And Gallery
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, Maine, Museums, Art, Coleman Burke, Coleman Burke Gallery, Coleman Burke Gallery, Richard Keen, Less 
