Everyone has used a table and seen a table, but not everyone has considered a table as art.

Richard Tuttle’s latest project with Gemini G.E.L., Yellow Circle, has the appearance of a utilitarian table, with hand-made ceramic tiles and a vapor-coated polished steel base. As with most of the famed conceptual artist’s work, Yellow Circle is more than a table; it is an object that occupies dual roles, one of practical functionality with the conceptual underpinnings of a work of art. Every aspect of Yellow Circle has been considered by the artist—the color of the grout, the finish of the metal, and perhaps most importantly, the way that the circle is broken up by the grid.

Tuttle’s work will often present the invisible, be it the presence of gravity, or the volume of space around an object. In this case, the table is a “presentation of the floor”—a section of which has been lifted up to present the traditional floor tile design. Culturally, we do not often think of the floor as a space in the same way that we think of walls in relation to our experiences of art. The floor not only grounds this architectural space, but is an overlooked surface for creating and exhibiting without the pretense of a pedestal. Both a functional object and a work of art – a table presenting floor tiles – Yellow Circle shines a light on the creative dimension that all objects carry.