Steel Bodies

Maren Hassinger 9' steel linear sculpture, gourd-shape with the East River and city skyline behind it.
June 9, 2022 – March 26, 2023

Artist

Maren Hassinger
‘Steel Bodies‘

Image:  Nicholas Knight Studio, Byron Guinanzaca, Joyce Chan

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On View June 9, 2022 – March 26, 2023

New York-based artist Maren Hassinger returns to Socrates with a series of new steel sculptures following her first exhibition with the Park in 1988. Examining the complications of human interrelation and affinity, identity and collectiveness, through abstraction in the outdoors, these steel silhouettes take forms of various iconic vessels drawing types not only from her current practice, but from the ancient Western world, non-Western cultures, and various Craft traditions. Amplified to larger than human height, the public is invited to walk around and among them, experiencing new perspectives through the skeletal frame. Their proximity to one another, choreographed throughout the Park’s landscape, provides visitors a new awareness of their bodies in public and shared space.

Video by: KMDeco Creative Solutions: Mark DiConzo. Video created with support from Bloomberg Philanthropies. Courtesy Socrates Sculpture Park, 2022.

Steel Bodies Opening Celebration—>
Thursday, June 9th | 5 – 8 PM

Join us to celebrate New York-based artist Maren Hassinger’s return to Socrates after her first exhibition in 1987. Enjoy live music courtesy of the Jazz Foundation of America and bites from Gladys Bienvenida Restaurante.

Artworks

Vessels One – Ten
Steel, 2022
Courtesy of the Artist and Susan Inglett Gallery

View the full Artwork details here —->

Vessel Six is currently not on view

Images: Nicholas Knight Studio, Byron Guinanzaca

Press

Hyperallergic, August 31, 2022. “Fall 2022 New York Art Guide”

The Financial Times, June 23, 2022. “Great Outdoor Art to see this Summer”

The New York Times, May 5, 2022. “Free Things to Do in New York, Every Day of the Week”

Queens Chronicle, April 28, 2022. “Natural and social environments at Socrates”

untapped new york, April 27, 2022. “11 New Public Art Installations in NYC May 2022”

Maren Hassinger

Black & white photograph of Maren Hassinger, hands raised elegantly at hairline and chin, framing her face.

Maren Hassinger (b.1947) has built an expansive practice that articulates the relationship between nature and humanity. Carefully choosing materials for their innate characteristics, Hassinger has explored the subject of movement, family, love, nature, environment, consumerism, identity, and race. Wire rope has played a prominent role in Maren Hassinger’s artistic practice since the early 1970s when, as a sculptor placed in the Fiber Arts program at UCLA, Hassinger used the material to bridge the gap between the two disciplines. The artist often takes a biomimetic approach to her material, whether bundling it to resemble a monolithic sheaf of wheat or planting it in cement to create an industrial garden. Maren Hassinger is the recipient of numerous honors, including a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Women’s Caucus for the Arts. Her work is included in the permanent collections of the Art Institute of Chicago; Baltimore Museum of Art; Los Angeles County Museum of Art; Museum of Modern Art, NYC; and the Whitney Museum of American Art, NYC, among others.

Image: Grace Roselli, Pandora’s BoxX Project

Experience the Steel Bodies exhibition in a whole new way from anywhere, anytime on your smartphone or tablet with Bloomberg Connects! Bloomberg Connects is a free digital guide to cultural institutions around the world. Special digital features include  documentaries and audio guides.

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Support

Major support for Steel Bodies comes from the Lenore G. Tawney Foundation with special thanks to Susan Inglett Gallery.