Greened Thing (Wallpaper)

During the late 1990s, Aaron Curry studied with Richard Hawkins at the Art Center, College of Design, Pasadena, California. Coming back together in a temporary collaboration, their respective mash-up of avant-garde, pop, and kitsch sensibilities resulted in an outstanding body of work. This sculpture is one of the best selections from this recent series of collaborative installations. Exploding with energy and color, this installation by Curry and Hawkins can hardly be contained. The fluorescent, biomorophic sculpture at its center seems to have bounced off the walls, taking three-dimensional form against its cartoon backdrop. Like a piece of public sculpture, it boldly declares its presence, letting us know that contemporary art is alive and well. A true collaboration between two maverick spirits, this work creates its own context by incorporating the walls in the corner of a room. As it is installed, the sculpture has the theatricality of an artist’s studio and the spontaneity of a booth at an international art fair. In an age of appropriation, image surfing, and recycling, their installations could not be more contemporary.