Event 4: Trip to the Hammer Museum (Extra Credit)

Thursday, June 8, 2017

This sculpture was made with
a beak and wings in order to give
it life.

For this event, I went to the Hammer Museum which is down in Westwood. One of the exhibitions that I looked at was created by German artist Judith Hopf. When I first looked at Hopf's creations, I noticed that all the works there were made from objects that are readily available to use in a house. Many artworks were made out of bricks, ropes, while others looked as if it were pasted on paper. The commonality I saw between all the artworks was the fact that they all were made to show that they were alive. For example, there were three pieces of different kinds of rope on the ground. One end of the rope touched the ground while the other, supported by the body, faced directly out the window. It had the uncanny resemblance of a snake watching its prey.

Through delicate arranging, Hopf
was able to make it seem as if
the rope was alive.

Just one of the sculptures that
were available in Hopf exhibition.

In one corner of the room, I also saw the same types of ropes, just longer, attached to the ceiling. At the very bottom, the rest of the rope lay neatly coiled. What I really got out of Hopf's exhibition was the idea that one can make art with essentially anything, even if at first glance it seems impossible. Regardless of the "simplicity" of the supplies used, the works appear complete, meaning that it is perfectly fine without adding any other pieces. I always attributed good art to very complex and intricate works. However, I know now that it is possible to make a delicate piece of art without having to be complex. This exhibition further supports the idea of the importance of creativity and originality in creating artworks. With a little imagination, even the simplest of objects can be used to produce art. I also really liked the fact that Hopf anthropomorphize her sculptures by adding facial features, arms, and legs. Overall, I believe it was very creative and very aesthetically pleasing.

Pictured here is a long piece of rope attached to the
ceiling on one end while the other is neatly coiled.

Pictured here is a funnel that was connected
to a copper wire which produced a
low, thudding sound.

The other exhibition I looked at was created by Jeanine Oleson. I also found Oleson's work to be intriguing but at the same time stimulating in mind. Stimulating meaning, I had to think quite a lot in order to try and understand her inspiration in making this. Oleson uses a mixture of her sculptures, sound, and music to show off her work. Her use of copper portrays the effects of materialism and labor on us through means of capitalism. As of now, I still don't believe I fully grasp the meaning behind her work and its relation to capitalism.