Addendum 1967

Here we have Eva Hesse's ‘Addendum,’ which is hanging right here at the Tate Modern. It’s made from painted wood, cord, and papier-mâché, probably sometime in the 60s. Imagine Hesse in her studio, wrestling with these materials, coaxing them into something that feels both ordered and chaotic. There's a funny tension between the neat row of orbs attached to the painted wood, and the dangling cords that terminate into loops on the floor. I wonder if she was thinking about gravity, about how things fall apart. Each cord has its own mind, twisting and bending in its own way, like a dance with entropy. The cords are grey, like skin, and the papîer-maché bulbs look like nipples! It’s a testament to Hesse's unique vision, she was always pushing the boundaries of sculpture, and speaking in a language that's both deeply personal and universally resonant. It's so great she was in conversation with the other artists of the time, but made something that just looks like her.