Knäckebröd 1966

This is Claes Oldenburg's 'Knäckebröd', an everyday object rendered extraordinary through scale and material. It looks like some kind of dark rubber or clay. Imagine Oldenburg, in his studio, maybe thinking about Pop Art, maybe thinking about Warhol. He's taking this super mundane item and making it monumental. There's something wonderfully absurd about turning a humble cracker into a weighty sculpture. I can picture him meticulously shaping the oversized form, pressing each of those holes with intent. There's this interplay between hard and soft, real and fake. This piece definitely relates to his other works where he enlarged and softened everyday objects, blurring the lines between sculpture and installation. It's a witty comment on consumer culture and our relationship with familiar objects. Oldenburg's definitely having a dialogue with artists who came before him, rethinking sculpture and representation. It's all connected, you know?