Universal Gym 2009

Thomas Hirschhorn made this work, "Universal Gym" and it looks like it's made with tape and paper. It's a big, bulbous black form that seems to occupy most of the room. I can imagine Thomas grappling with this thing, wrestling it into existence, and how it might have come into being through trial, error, and a lot of intuition. It's intriguing how Hirschhorn uses these everyday materials to create something so monumental. It reminds me of Kurt Schwitters' "Merzbau," where he transformed his entire house into a sculptural environment using found objects. I think the choice of materials definitely shapes our experience and contributes to the emotional and intellectual resonance of the work. I'm not sure what he was thinking while making this, but I imagine it was a struggle. Maybe he was trying to make something that was really solid and imposing out of materials that were not, and somehow turn that into something that gets at our vulnerabilities. In that way, artists are in an ongoing conversation and exchange of ideas across time, inspiring one another’s creativity. The artwork embraces ambiguity and uncertainty, allowing for multiple interpretations.