Jason Hackenwerth
September 26 - October 31, 2008

The Cecille R. Hunt Gallery is pleased to present recent work by New York – based artist Jason Hackenwerth. Hackenwerth rigorously constructs complex balloon creations, which a spirit of wonder and oddity. Inspired by the forms of sea creatures, fossils, and giant prehistoric creatures, Hackenwerth’s forms evoke universal themes of life, birth and death. To build his monumental biomorphic sculpture, Hackenwerth knots and shapes hundreds of brightly colored inflated balloons into magical and ephemeral configurations and forms of lively cobbled creatures. The kinetic installations are made up of organic, latex neon forms, reminiscent of anemones and urchins. In addition, his large-scale photographs are meant to capture the sculptures in their most vibrant condition. They are set in what could be post-apocalyptic landscapes while simultaneously functioning as costumes they capture a moment of the performance. As wearable sculpture, he temporarily inserts a soul into his creations, the works are at-once full of life and breath. As predictable each tendril loses both the trapped air and their sense of vibrancy, the work visibly wilts over the course of the exhibition, their ephemeral nature reflects our own lives,. They employ an eerie cinematic quality, portraying animated attack scenes, all acting as a philosophical inquiry into the nature of mortality.

Jason Hackenwerth Brochure