Vernissage at the Hammer

 

The Hammer Museum’s latest vernissage, “Winter Exhibitions Opening Celebration,” was unexpected at various levels. The biggest surprise was seeing how many people of all ages attended. It was a welcomed abnormality, a good sign that there is life after Trump, climate change, and long wish-lists of We The People.

The first impacting artwork was at the entrance lobby: Leonardo Drew’s sculptural installation at an architectural scale made out of roofing material, wood, and sandpaper. As stated in the show’s presentation, it is “a monumental explosion of material and color that evokes the energy and entropy of an uncertain planet.”

CW-A-300-20x6-Mam-Pano-IMG_0485
Leonardo Drew’s installation at the Hammer Museum’s lobby

Max Hooper Schneider’s idiosyncratic installation succeeded in getting one immersed in it. Beyond the visual impact on the visitor, knowing about his background in landscape architecture and marine biology informs his “destruction and construction” artwork.

The leading exhibition was “Paul McCarthy: Head Space, Drawings 1963-2019.” It was less surprising. I had covered some of his work in Tangoing with Paul & Amigos. Although I am less interested in the conflicting emotions provoked by his visceral repressed memories, I do admire his journey of continuous experimentation, and also the scale of some of his drawings.

The work of New York-based artist Tishan Hsu’s intrigued me more for the formal originality of some of its sculptures than for their Minimalist message of emerging technologies’ aesthetics. Trained as an architect at MIT, and having had a carrier as an artist and teacher that spanned over four decades was revealing.

What are you looking for?