Raid Projects : Jason Hackenwerth

Raid Projects is proud to present the dynamic, large-scale forms of sculptor Jason Hackenwerth, in the first ever solo show held at this gallery. The biomorphic organisms created by the clown activity of bending and shaping balloons become, under Hackenwerth's technical mastery, an epistemological inquiry into the nature of mortality. These sexual organics, full of life and breath, visibly wilt over the course of the exhibition, losing both the trapped air and their sense of vibrancy. Their ephemeral nature reflects our own, struggling against gravity, as they slowly decline. This Grand Theme approach is playfully balanced, with a joviality in the face of such transience, by the materials used and the intensity of the colors, which offset the morbid melancholia of the essential drive of these flamboyant works.

Following her 3 month residency, Schmeltz will present her research through an installation setting of newly created sculptures.

Investigating the continued spread of suburban America via materials that are reminiscent of the 1970's tract home growth (vinyl, shag carpet, polyester, Styrofoam, wood paneling, etc) Schmeltz fabricates, casts and vacuum-forms architectural sculptures which incorporate themselves into larger module-like structures - as a potential model for the future, and a warning for this increased divergence and separation from the natural environment into a corporate and homogenized one of calculated conformity. This manicured landscape is surreal and Schmeltz responds with a humorous, if disappointed, eye to her own intrinsic participation in the process.

Schmeltz has previously exhibited at the NOVA Young Contemporary Art Fair, Chicago, Columbia University and several times at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Tuscon. She graduated with her MFA from the University of Arizona in 2003 and is currently relocating to Los Angeles.

For information coming soon. Click here to view Aili Schmeltz AIR page