Aught 1968

Eva Hesse made “Aught” with cloth and resin, transforming soft material into something solid and strange. I’m fascinated by the way Hesse embraces process, allowing the materials to dictate the form, and letting chance be her guide. The ochre color is both warm and unsettling, like a stain that refuses to fade. Up close, you can see the wrinkles and folds of the cloth, frozen in place by the resin. The edges are rough and frayed, hinting at the fragility of the piece, and the layers of the cloth add depth and texture. It’s a bit like staring at a fossil, where the past is preserved in a present form. It reminds me of Robert Ryman's paintings, where he would methodically apply layers of white paint to reveal the underlying texture of the canvas. Both Hesse and Ryman seem to be less concerned with creating an image and more interested in exploring the physicality of their materials. Art, like life, is often about finding beauty in the unexpected.