Artist Jacob Hashimoto presents an unbelievable installation of 30,000 hand-made kites at the Mary Boone Gallery in New York this month!
The centerpiece, titled “Skyfarm Fortress”, fills the beautifully sky-lit gallery with a network of hanging kites made from rice paper on bamboo supports. The pixel-like squares collect in larger rectangular sets and sway gently with the slightest draft from the front door.
Skyfarm Fortress, 2014
Skyfarm Fortress, 2014 (detail)
Skyfarm Fortress, 2014 (detail)
The back room of the gallery holds three smaller works (for collectors who lack a massive museum lobby) that have rotated throughout the run of the exhibition. Though less grand and interactive, the “wall works” are my favorite, themselves holding over a thousand kites each (by my count), ranging in size from a quarter to a beverage coaster.
A Century or Two of Sleep, 2014. 60” x 96” x 8”
For a sense of scale, note that the piece above, titled “A Century or Two of Sleep”, is also visible in the background of the installation photo of “Skyfarm Fortress” at the beginning of this article.
Forgotten and Unknown Darknesses, 2014. 60” x 96” x 8”
The Peaceful Depths of Ceaseless Multiplication, 2014. 72” x 72” x 8”
Brief Flashes of Light. Focus. And Impossible Goals, 2014. 78″ x 72″ x 8″
The patterns in the “wall works” shift and dissolve when viewed from various angles. The first image of this article is an angled view of the piece above, and the two images below are different views of the same work.
Echoes, Refractions, and the Mad Price of Civilization, 2014. 48” x 48” x 8
Echoes, Refractions, and the Mad Price of Civilization, 2014 (detail)
If you have a minute, check out this video interview of Jacob Hashimoto talking about an earlier work in a different gallery. He describes the formidable task of installation at about the 3:50 mark. Amazing.
Skyfarm Fortress, (detail) 2014
What: Jacob Hashimoto: Skyfarm Fortress
Where: Mary Boone Gallery, 541 W 24th Street, NYC
When: September 6 – October 25, 2014
All images courtesy Mary Boone Gallery, New York. “Detail” images photographed by the author, David Behringer. All other images provided by Mary Boone Gallery.
