The Ruth Asawa exhibit at the David Zwirner Gallery was the first art gallery that I have ever attended, and it was a very special one because of the legacy and incredible story of Ruth Asawa. Ruth Asawa was born in California in 1926 to two Japanese immigrants. During World War Two, her and her family were sent to internment camps in California and Arkansas. She was unable to see or contact multiple family members during this time, however, she still managed to receive a high school and college education. After attending Black Mountain College, her art career took off, including a wide variety of sculptures and some paintings.
The gallery showcased several wire sculptures that dangled from the ceilings. These wire sculptures were what really kickstarted Asawa’s career in the 1950’s after the war and the internment camps. What I found most interesting about them was that they were made from such simple materials (different types of wire) yet they were so complex and had so many different parts.
The sculptures that intrigued me the most were the long ones with different shapes up and down the length of the sculpture, such as the one in the featured image. It is amazing that she was able to create such an intricate sculpture only using pieces of wire. She makes it look as if the sculpture itself is floating, while also putting shapes inside of the other shapes that look as if they are floating as well. She said that she used wire because wires make lines, and lines are the only way to make forms which interlock and interweave. Doing this, makes the sculptures seem s though they are separated into different sections, while i is actually just one piece of wire widened in certain areas. She does an excellent job shaping the wire, giving each piece a wide variety of shapes going up and down the sculpture. I believe that these shapes and curves really help give the sculptures excellent flow ad what Asawa described as a “transparent” aspect. The interlocking of the wire to form various shapes is also an amazing aspect of the sculptures. She was able to put smaller shapes inside of the larger ones, while still keeping the flow and neatness to the sculpture.
The way in which Ruth Asawa was inspired to create sculptures like these is also extremely interesting. Asawa travelled to Mexico with her older sister one summer to take art classes at the Universidad de Mexico, however, she got her inspiration from a much more informal setting. She learned how to sculpt with wire from Mexican villagers who used the technique to make baskets. Obviously she took this concept much further and make intricate sculptures using it, however, it is amazing that she was able to build a storied and successful art career off of something so simple.
It was amazing to be able to see the first art works of such a well known artist, and really see how her art work progressed. After creating her wire sculpture she moved on to larger projects, such as her mermaid fountain in Ghirardelli Square and the “fountain lade” (also in San Francisco. I was able to see both of these works in San Francisco this passed summer, so it was even more interesting for me to see the sculptures that began her career.
