Ruth Awasa’s large scale metal-crochet curvy forms were beautiful. They suspended from the ceiling and hung to just above the ground. They were about fifteen to twenty feet tall and there were about 10 of them on display. Though they looked seemingly simple and extremely refined. There were smaller forms within the larger forms creating an interesting layering affect that really gave the whole piece a whole other element and created a beautiful illusion. These forms casted beautiful shadows on the floor giving the forms a whole other dimension. Louise Bourgeois’ work also really caught my eye. My first impression of Louise Bourgeois’ pieces were that they were beautiful, large, industrious, and bold. There were 6 of them displayed on one long wall which really made the body of work very powerful. The materials used was canvas from military bags, iron rods and metal wire to stitch the fabric together. My impression was that they were about the war and it was to show the emotional damage caused from WWII. However once I read the artist statement which said (in a nutshell) the pieces were about the disconnect of the younger generation of the time with their understanding of “real life” I did not feel as captivated by them anymore. However, they were still very bold and beautiful. The last room I went into displayed many working contemporary artists who were commissioned to make pieces for the gallery. Jessica Stockholder, Sonia Gomez, Abigail DeVille, Karla Black, Phyllida Barlow, Rachel Khedoori were all on display in this vary industrious warehouse-like space. I feel as though the artwork that was displayed in this space was all very interesting and captivating but it was almost too much going on in one room. There was misshaped furniture to the right as you walk in and then you are greeted by a large installation piece with giant fabric pom poms suspended from a giant wooden support-type sculptural form. Then as you move into the space you are hit with an overwhelming amount of art by different artists all displayed very closely to each other. This, unfortunately, made it difficult for me to really enjoy and engage with each individual piece as much as I would have liked. Overall Hauser Wirth and Schimmel was a beautiful open gallery space.
