Aiko Hachisuka

AIKO HACHISUKA May 5 – June 14, 2013 | 11 Rivington St, NY

Eleven Rivington is very pleased to present the NY solo debut of Japanese-born artist Aiko Hachisuka, on view from May 5 – June 14, 2013 at our 11 Rivington Street location.  The exhibition will feature five abstract sculptures of varying scales created over the last 3 years as well as unique works on paper.

Hachisuka creates elaborately constructed soft sculptures out of clothing which are silkscreened with dozens of varying marks and hues: the artist uses blank screens to apply layers of color on materials which have been intuitively folded, creased and manipulated, and then unfolded and re-arranged again; this accumulation of colors and fold marks accrue to create their own patterns.  Each piece is then carefully filled and stuffed with foam.  Comprising individual articles of dressing - each with its own particular fabric weight, texture and weave - these carefully made objects become elaborate forms, often alluding to the body, and each with their own idiosyncratic physiognomies. Each element is emblazoned with layers of inked impressions and individually hand-sewn onto another piece, forming an abstract assemblage of distended shapes.  While removed from their original materiality (including sweaters, pants and shirts once worn by the artist), they nonetheless retain their strong connection to the human form; each large, bulbous form has a hollow, vessel-like core. Beyond the apparent references to cloth and the body, however, these sculptures take on highly individual identities: with their bold patterns, complex constructions, and expressive color palettes reminiscent of a three-dimensional Rorschach test.  They pose on wooden plinths, evoking disparate references and associations: from the technical complexity and opulence of Asian textiles to the bold exuberance of Pattern & Decoration, as well as from the graphic and deadpan nature of Pop artists such as Claes Oldenburg to the physical reconfigurations of car parts by John Chamberlain.

Aiko Hachisuka was born in 1974 in Nagoya, Japan, educated at CalArts, CA (MFA) and Ringling School of Art & Design, FL (BFA), and currently lives and works in LA.  Group exhibitions include 7 Sculptors at Brennan & Griffin, NY; Tables & Chairs at D’Amelio Terras, NY; Core 2002 at Museum of Fine Arts, Houston; and Snapshot: New Art from Los Angeles at the Hammer Museum, LA (traveled to Museum of Contemporary Art, Miami).  Hachisuka’s work has been featured in Frieze, Flash Art, TAR, and LA Weekly, among others.