jim hodges: reflective boulder installation

‘untitled’ by jim hodges, 2011 installed at barbara gladstone gallery, new york image by gladstone gallery all images courtesy walker art center

new york-based installation artist jim hodges has created ‘untitled’, a major outdoor sculpture comprised of four massive boulders with a half-steel skin to be arranged in a circle on a field. the boulders which comprise ‘untitled’ weigh between eight to thirteen tons and all reach a height of more than six feet tall. each of the components feature a high-polished stainless steel surface upon a rock in four shades including pink, blue, gold and lavender. the added skin of steel is melded to the surface of the boulder highlighting the size and curves in the surface of each rock. the artist conceived of the installation as one in which the rocks would be configured in a natural landscape in a circle. in this way that visitiors would walk between the boulders, the light refracting from the boulders’ reflective surfaces interacting with the movements of the gallery goer’s form.

in order to create a smooth surface, body putty was first applied and then a mould was made from the stainless steel cast. the rock surface was then chiseled in order to create texture for the steel veneers to adhere to. the steel sheets were painted with a clear-coat and dye mixture, finally pinned to each massive rock. the result is a massive sculptural work that possesses a sense of fluidity while also remaining intrinsically fixed. each boulder mirroring a natural shape while also rejecting and concealing its form.

‘untitled’ is part of a major retrospective of hodges’ work to be displayed at walker art center in minneapolis, minnesota, USA set in the minneapolis sculpture garden in 2013.

a detailed view of the sculpture

additional perspective of the surface

the deinstallation of ‘untitled’ at gladstone gallery image courtesy gladstone gallery

to create a support system for the boulders during transportation, a steel i-beam system was developed image courtesy gladstone gallery

the massive rocks range from 8 to 13 tons image courtesy gladstone gallery

olga viso, walker art center executive director, discusses the installation of ‘untitled’ with art center staff image by gene pittman, walker art center

the photo-composite of the upcoming outdoor installation photo by cameron zebrun photo composite by gene pittman

conceptual sketch of ‘untitled’ completed in 2011