The life of artist Ruth Asawa is an extraordinary one. Born in 1926 into a family of Japanese immigrants, Asawa would end up enduring adversity even from a young age. I feel that what marvels me about Asawa’s story is the fact that she always used her surroundings to her advantage. Even when her family was placed into a Japanese internment camp during World War II, Asawa was able to train in different forms of art, such as sculptures, with artists inside the camp.
When I stepped inside the David Zwirner Gallery, what immediately caught my eye was how calm and breezy the atmosphere seemed. To me, the white color on the walls helped to enhance this sentiment, since the light from outdoors bounced on almost every wall. In regards to Asawa’s work, I easily feel in love with their sculptures. The way she intricately wove each of either iron or brass wire reflected her love for detail in her artwork On a personal note, another reason why I admire’s Asawa’s work is because it reminded me of one of my favorite hobbies, crocheting. Like Asawa’s sculptures, crocheting also required the person performing it to remain meticulous, so that each stitch will hold the peace together. Furthermore, crocheting allows a person more freedom in designing shapes, since increasing and decreasing stitches can discreetly hinder the appearance of the work.
One piece, in particular that stood out to me was one of the name Untitled, which was what Asawa commonly named her other pieces. Perhaps in doing so, Asawa is still exercising her creativity, leaving up the title of her sculptures to the viewer themselves. The statue itself was produced in 1954, composed of copper and iron wire. What drew me into this particular sculpture was how Asawa alternated in widening and shrinking the shapes of her sculpture in order to make it look appealing to the viewer.
One strength of Asawa’s work, is as she would put it, is the”economy of her lines”. Her work is made of simplistic materials, and create asymmetrical spheres. Although I would not describe myself as a major connoisseur of the arts, I am happy to admit that it was easily to appreciate Asawa’s works. Often times, in regards to modern art, some pieces I observe are sometimes far too difficult to understand, and I often wonder how they are deemed as art apart of their movements.
I believe that knowing about Asawa’s life also helps to understand her artwork. Even before I had entered the gallery, I was already building up a sense of respect for her, knowing that she was not only a revolutionary artist of her time, but also a champion for arts education. In retrospect, I think that this is the very first time that I have felt a personal connection to not only art, but an artist as well. As a woman, I do feel proud that Asawa was not only able to become a prominent female artist, but one as a woman of color. In the future, I do hope that we will continue to raise awareness of such timeless work, especially made by women.
