new york's pace gallery presents tim hawkinson's mechanized, witty works

new york’s pace gallery presents tim hawkinson’s mechanized, witty works
all photos courtesy of the artist © tim hawkinson, courtesy pace gallery

tim hawkinson: counterclockwise
pace gallery, new york
february 26, 2016 – april 23, 2016

to inaugurate its recently-opened space in new york, pace gallery presents an exhibition dedicated to artist tim hawkinson, highlighting a number of his most ambitious mechanized works made over the past twenty years. ‘counterclockwise’ encompasses the artist’s kinetic and whimsical installations through a diverse range of media, including sculpture, installation, painting, photography and collage. his works recontextualize common, everyday materials as unexpected adaptations that prompt new ways of seeing the world around us.

installation view of ‘signature’, 1993 
school desk, paper, wood and metal; motorized 
37″ x 28″ x 24″ (94 cm x 71.1 cm x 61 cm) 

the works included in the exhibition epitomize hawkinson’s inventiveness and improvisation, with results that are unlikely, playful, witty and mechanically complex. for example, ‘signature’ — a motorized school desk with scattered sheets of paper surrounding — translates a part of hawkinson’s own being into a machine, as it continuously scribbles the artist’s signature onto slips of paper. similarly to ‘world clock’ — a found medicine cabinet that indicates the time of day in different world cities — ‘signature’ records the passage of time, as signed paper piles onto the gallery floor.

installation view of ‘counterclockwise’ at pace gallery, new york 

additionally, hawkinson’s interest in sensory experiences is realized through his sound machines, which turn ordinary objects into anthropomorphic arrangements. as seen in ‘ranting mop head’, a motor pushes air against a reed set onto an upturned mop, simulating an almost-human voice; beneath the ribcage of a skeleton made from rawhide dog chews in ‘penitent’, a slide whistle repeatedly sounds as if calling for a dog. 

overall, the works shown in ‘counterclockwise’ seek to prompt new ways of seeing the world around us through unexpected adaptations of everyday visuals, movements and sounds.

installation view of ‘laocoon’, 2004
paper, wire, string, foam and rubber
13′ x 9’x 5′ (396.2cm x 274.3 cm x 152.4cm)

installation view of ‘koruru’, 2009
soda bottles, egg cartons, pill bottles, foil and vinyl
10′ x 6′ 6″ x 3′ (304.8 cm x 198.1 cm x 91.4 cm) 

installation view of ‘ranting mop head (synthesized voice)’, 1995
mop, lectern and mixed media; motorized, with sound
overall: 68 x 43 x 20″ (176.4 x 109.2 x 50.8 cm)
mop: 68 x 23 x 23″ (172.7 x 58.4 x 58.4 cm) lectern: 511/2 x 28 x 20″ (130.8 x 71.1 x 50.8 cm) cable: 204″ (517.96 cm)

installation view of ‘penitent’, 1994
rawhide dog chews and slide whistler motorized, with sound
48 3/4″ x 18″ x 19 1/2″ (123.8 cm x 45.7 cm x 49.5 cm)

installation view of ‘orrery’, 2010
plastic bottles, shopping bags, inkjet, prints, twine, string, wire, foam, springs, tape, lead and steel
93″ x 96″ x 96″ (236.2 cm x 243.8 cm x 243.8 cm)

installation view of ‘petrie’, 1999
pen and pencil on paper 
8′ 10 1/2″ x 14′ 6″ (270.5 cm x 442  cm)