Courtney holds up lost Reebok sneaker.

A single shoe. I picture either a perfectly content one legged man or a rather upset runner contemplating trashing his solo sneaker. Either way, lefty remains.

Sometimes strange things get left at the front desk of the Pulitzer. Cups of coffee, half eaten apples, earrings; little pieces of life we shed from time to time. The shoe first appeared after a symposium several months ago. The shoe was brought in by the driver who transported the participants to and from the hotel, so I assumed that we would hear again from one of the scholars eventually.

But there it sat and sort of became forgotten. It wasn’t until install for Urban Alchemy that it was noticed again. The prospect of the shoe being added to the Garbage Wall gave its loneliness additional meaning. Often a lost object is seen just as trash. In Matta-Clark’s day, could this shoe become shelter?

In Gordon Matta-Clark’s work, often what isn’t there is more important than what is being shown. For instance the exhibition displays photos that show where the displayed sculptural fragments originally existed, but truthfully the real work has long been gone–another building destroyed in the name of progress. The lost shoe also brings to mind its counterpart and the human who may very well be missing it. So it’s a reference for the human condition. (Also a reminder of another work that has been shown at the Pulitzer; Atribiliarios, by Doris Salcedo.) So it’s that a single object, when missing its pair, can cause another human to ponder about the other half and have a sense of hope for reuniting the two.

The shoe is not in the Garbage Wall. I thought a plea on the internet for its long lost owner might be better, because there’s still a chance the owner will be reunited with his sole mate. If you would like to claim this shoe please contact chenson@pulitzerarts.org.  You will need to provide the other one as proof.