On a trip down to Los Angeles I had
the opportunity to see Jacob Hashimoto’s latest work Gas Giant (2014)at the
MOCA Pacific Design Center, and I was blown away by this beautiful piece. This
particular MOCA location is the smallest of the three but housed this one
massive work perfectly. This show included a large number of individual pieces
but they all added up to just one work of art, the Gas Giant. Hashimoto is a Japanese American artist who was born in
Colorado and lives and works in New York. With his work Hashimoto draws
inspiration from his cultural past, using techniques from traditional Japanese
kite making to create the large-scale installation works he is known for. In
this exhibition Hashimoto is exploring the idea of collecting and the vastness
of landscape.
Jacob Hashimoto, Gas Giant (top floor of installation)
One portion of the Gas Giant
This has been the first exhibition I have attended that only included one artwork, but I feel it
occupied the space well on its own. With other artworks this piece would not
have done so well, this work consumed the gallery, as well as the viewer. This
specific work included over 30,000 individual hand made kite-like objects. The
viewer can easily approach the work and see that each one is made of paper and
held only by a thin string. Once up-close one can examine that each kite is
either delicately collaged with multiple pieces of colored paper or drawn on by
hand. The number of small paper kites and thin hanging strings is almost
overwhelming.
Though this
piece is not site specific it worked well with the architecture of this
particular building. The MOCA Design Center’s building is a big cube, with two
stories. Inside, the Gas Giant
consumed both floors. The first floor was draped with kites only black and
white in color and tangled together in a violent mess. Displaying it this way
disrupted the repetition of shapes and materials as well as possibly referenced
the turbulent winds that destroy these delicate objects. On the second story
the viewer is confronted with thousands of precisely placed colored kites. Each
one holds on to the piece above it by a thin black string delicately connecting
the objects. When the viewer walks through the space the works sways and
becomes interactive depending on the movement. This swaying reminds one of what
these objects are intended for, kites are made to fly yet these are place
indoors only to move in response to the passer-by.
Detail of the paper kites
Myself at the Gas Giant show
This work has been
displayed two other times but the Los Angeles exhibit is the last showing of
this work. Like any installation this work has changed depending on where it
was shown. This gives Hashimoto the ability to add or subtract from this work
depending on what he feels is necessary. This work displays a type of obsessive
collecting, the shear number of individual pieces shows the artist’s need to
fill the space without crowding it. This shows that Hashimoto greatly considers
each venue and manipulates the piece so that it works with its environment. The
viewer can move freely throughout the museum, even close enough to inspect the
work and speculate on the amount of time it would have taken to create such a
massive yet temporary piece of art.
Jacob Hashimoto, Gas Giant, 2014
This work is able
to reference landscape in the various designs on the kites, including pictures
of clouds and even grass. Throughout the work, sections vary in the length of
the strings attached to the kites giving the work movement even when it remains
still. The repetition of shapes and style becomes soothing as one wanders the
gallery space. Like the majority of Hashimoto’s work Gas Giant is made mainly out of paper, giving this work the ability
to move. All elements of this artwork combine well, the material, the placement
of objects, and the regard for space as well as the venue itself. Hashimoto’s
craftsmanship and attention to detail shine through in this work. I would recommend
this exhibition to anyone that is in the area; it is an exciting piece and a
wonderful experience. Hashimoto’s work pulls the viewer in and amazes at every
turn.
Simply by the name, one should have a good idea of what to
expect when entering this show. The name
Codex is referencing some of the earliest types of bound books that are thought
to have come about between the 1st and 2nd centuries AD. Though
the exhibit’s name implies books, there are only representations of books, not
a single, real book is in the show. As soon as you walk in you are overwhelmed
by the scattering of artwork that is displayed on the large white wall,
opposite the entrance to the building. It took me a while but after looking at
the artwork I realized that there were no labels for any of the work, I was
confused because I had never been to a gallery where credit was not given to
the artist.
Artwork labels on the window of the building
Laetitia Benat, Virginia, 2003
More museum labels on the window to the building.
After walking around a bit to look at the space, I realized
that all the labels for the artwork were displayed on the window that was
facing the wall showcasing the art. Once I noticed it, I couldn’t understand
how I missed it in the first place. The tags had a small, simple illustration
of the work it corresponded to as well as being directly across from the work
it was a label for. This was conceptual, I had never seen this type of display
before and thought it was an interesting concept, but somewhat of a nuisance because
I like to be able to know the title of a work while looking at it. This type of
set up forced one to walk back and forth if you were interested in knowing who
did what.
Section with artwork on right side of main wall
Myself looking at the large amount of work displayed at the Codex show
Though I thought the concept was interesting I did not think
the work was particularly good or even interesting to say the least. After a
short time in this exhibit I went on to the other half of the gallery located
behind the main wall of the codex show. This exhibit was called Provisional Realities, and I found it
much more exciting.
Susan Hiller, Wild Talents, 2007
Myself looking at the installation, Wild Talents
Susan Hiller , Wild Talents, Installation, 2007
In particular Susan Hiller's installation, Wild Talents, was pretty interesting, there were two large screens with projections, both with images and short clips from movies. It was a little creepy because though there was sound, it did not correlate with what was being shown. The majority of the clips had children in them and most seemed to be from horror films. After seeing this work I looked at more of Hiller's art and found that large installations that include video is what she does best. She was originally interested in anthropology then later decided to pursue a career in art. She is American but has been working and living in London for many years now. This work Wild Talents, had me hooked I stayed watching the clips and listening to the recording that was playing that seemed to be people talking in Russian, the whole experience was a little eerie but I enjoyed it, by far this was the best work on display during this time.
TB-9 was a ceramic and sculpture studio on the campus of UC
Davis in the 1960’s. This event brought together three students of Robert
Arneson, the man responsible for making the Temporary Building 9 what is was. Steven
Kaltenbach, Peter VandenBerge, and Gerald Walburg, the three past students, all
credited Arneson as being the mastermind behind TB-9. They praised Arneson for
his approach at teaching and shared stories with us of the crazy nights they
spent creating art together. The building number 9 was on campus for almost 40
years before Arneson decided to take it over to teach ceramic and metal
sculpture to the art students of UC Davis. Arneson was described as an
innovative man going against traditional ceramic art that was being made at
that time. In the 1960’s the ceramics being produced were equated with
beautiful forms, Arneson rejected functional ceramic art and started what is
known today as the Ceramic Funk Movement. He gave these students the confidence
they needed to explore their medium and think about art in a different way.
The crowd waiting for the talk to start
Three of the remaining members of the group of artists that experienced TB-9. (left to right) Peter Vandenburge,
Steven Kaltenbach, and Gerald Walburg.
One way Arneson and his teaching methods promoted creativity
by allowing the students to always have a place to create because TB-9 was
known for never being locked. The stories they shared made it obvious there was
a strong connection among the students as well as with their teacher, a
creative bond that resulted in amazing innovative artwork and artists. The art
department was allowing students the freedom to create new things that were not
seen before. The environment was described as being comfortable, a place where
students felt free to explore, work and most importantly talk to each other
about their work, this was different than other traditional classes, where it was
about just creating. The openness of TB-9 allowed student to use each other as
inspiration and help if needed. They were able to feed off each other, stealing
ideas and going off each other’s work.
Shankara, steel, by Gerald Walburg
The three talked about how their teachers were all very
young at the time so they felt like they could relate to them and this created
even more of a bond. Arneson was described as being a wonderful man who often
invited students over to have a beer and talk about ideas, even getting the
students together to visit museums and look at artwork together for
inspiration. Stories were also shared about a great visiting artist program at
Davis that helped keep inspiration fresh as well.
House Poet, Ceramic, 2000. Work by Peter Vandenberge
located in CSUS Library
Steven Kaltenbach
graduated from UC Davis and eventually came to work right here at California
State University Sacramento, retireing in 2005. He continues to create and
exhibit his work nationwide. Gerald Walburg is known now for his large scale
metal sculptures seen on several college campuses including San Jose State
University and of course our own California State University Sacramento, right
in front of the Library. He also eventually came to teach art here at Sac
State. Peter VandenBerge is well-known for his ceramic art, which can also be
seen on campus in our Library by the main entrance (pictured). Like his fellow
ex-classmates Vandenberge too found his way back to the surrounding area and
taught art here at Sac State. All three, retired now, can still be seen
wandering around the art studios here on campus, so if you are by the art
department keep your eyes open, you might be standing next to a piece of local
history.
Portrait of My Father, 1972-79, acrylic on canvas, by
Steven Kaltenbach
