Helen Victoria Walsh
May 4, 20231 min
Eva Hesse: Expanded Expansion, 1969, fiberglass, polyester resin, latex, and cheesecloth, approximately 10 by 25 feet.
COURTESY SOLOMON R. GUGGENHEIM MUSEUM, NEW YORK
"Delighting in internal contradiction and formal repetition—often to absurd or exaggerated effect—Eva Hesse softened Minimalism’s hard edges with pliable industrial materials that evinced her touch."
"Standing more than 10 feet tall and, when fully extended, 30 feet wide, the accordion-like sculptural scrim comprises 13 rubberized panels made by brushing liquid latex onto pieces of cheesecloth that are suspended between upright poles handcrafted from reinforced fiberglass. Though it alludes to domestic or theatrical drapes, the work highlights materiality with its intrinsic colors and textures."
Test Piece for "Contingent" (1969) at the National Gallery of Art in 2022
"Her work Contingent from 1968 is an ideal example of this concept. And in a statement on her work, Hesse described her piece entitled Hang-Up as "...the first time my idea of absurdity or extreme feeling came through...The whole thing is absolutely rigid, neat cord around the entire thing... It is extreme and that is why I like it and don't like it... It is the most ridiculous structure that I ever made and that is why it is really good".[29]"
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eva_Hesse