(Left arm) John Baldessari, Crowd Arm (Gold on Silver), 2016 Spike: 22kt yellow gold plated
Elbow: Silver and 22kt yellow gold plated Spike: 21 x 9 x 4 cm / 8 1/4 x 3 1/2 x 1 5/8 in Elbow: 16 x 11 x 13 cm / 6 1/4 x 4 3/8 x 5 1/8 in (Right arm) John Baldessari, Crowd Arm (Gold on Gold), 2016 Spike: 22kt yellow gold plated Elbow: Silver Spike: 20 x 9 x 4 cm / 7 7/8 x 3 1/2 x 1 5/8 inches Elbow: 16 x 11 x 13 cm / 6 1/4 x 4 3/8 x 5 1/8 in © John Baldessari. Courtesy the artist, Marian Goodman Gallery and Hauser & Wirth
On 20th April 2017, Hauser & Wirth will debut its Portable Art Project with an exhibition of wearable objects commissioned from fifteen artists — works that exist somewhere between sculpture and bodily adornment. Organized by Celia Forner, who collaborated closely with the artists, the Portable Art Project includes unique pieces as well as editioned series, crafted from an array of materials ranging from traditional gold and silver with precious and semi-precious gems, to enamel, aluminum, bronze, and iron. The initiative began with an invitation to Louise Bourgeois, who in 2008 conceived different rope-like precious metal cuffs. In the years since Bourgeois designed these first contributions, the Portable Art Project has evolved to include John Baldessari, Phyllida Barlow, Stefan Brüggemann, Subodh Gupta, Mary Heilmann, Andy Hope 1930, Cristina Iglesias, Matthew Day Jackson, Bharti Kher, Nate Lowman, Paul McCarthy, Caro Niederer, Michele Oka Doner, and Pipilotti Rist.
Subodh Gupta, Untitled, 2013 Yellow gold and emeralds on gold chain,
pendant necklace Pendant 3.5 x 9 x 3.5 cm / 1 3/8 x 3 1/2 x 1 3/8 in Chain: 31 cm / 12 1/4 in
The exhibition also includes a commissioned series of performative photographs of celebrated Spanish actress Rossy de Palma (seen here), best known for her starring roles in the films of Pedro Almodóvar. Shot by Gorka Postigo, these images capture de Palma engaging with each work as an extension of her body and a tool for expressing identity: a talismanic conductor of physical sensation and emotion. As artist Subodh Gupta has observed, “When someone is wearing an artwork, his or her own body and persona become the context for the work, so it can entirely change the meaning of a work. In some senses, a certain amount of control that one may have had over an artwork, as the artist, is lost; you have to hand that over to the person wearing the work.”
The Portable Art Project exhibition will be documented in a fully illustrated catalogue.
The Portable Art Project Hauser & Wirth New York, 69th Street 20 April – 17 June 2017
Opening Reception: Thursday 20 April www.hauserwirth.com
John Baldessari, Mr. Blue Bird on my Shoulder (with Diamonds), 2013 Bird: enameled silver, diamonds; Shoulder stand: metal, suede 10 x 6.3 x 10 cm / 3 7/8 x 2 1/2 x 3 7/8 in Overall dimension: 10h x 6.3 x 10 cm / 3 7/8 x 2 1/2 x 3 7/8 in Bird only: 6.3h x 3 x 7.2 cm / 2 1/2 x 1 1/8 x 2 7/8 in © John Baldessari. Courtesy the artist, Marian Goodman Gallery and Hauser & Wirth
Mary Heilmann, Untitled, 2016 3 hollow silver disks, lacquered Chain: silver with matte finish 42.5 x 32.5 x 1.2 cm / 16 3/4 x 12 3/4 x 1/2 in
Cristina Iglesias, Arm Piece, 2016, Shoulder Piece, 2016 and Hip Piece, 2016 © Cristina Iglesias. Courtesy the artist, Marian Goodman Gallery and Hauser & Wirth
Bharti Kher, Warrior Bracelet, 2017 Yellow gold plated silver 6.5 x 34 x 9.5 cm / 2 1/2 x 13 3/8 x 3 3/4 in
Caro Niederer, Charm Bracelet 1, 2009 Bracelet: yellow gold 7 charms: photographs, glass 5 x 19.5 x 1.8 cm / 2 x 7 5/8 x 3/4 in
Michele Oka Doner, Nekton, 2016 and Plankton, 2017 Courtesy the artist, Marlborough Gallery and Hauser & Wirth
