Few would look at an old sponge or a scattering of spare sequins and think to put them to any sort of use, let alone incorporating them as a key component of a piece of art.
Yet these are two rather prominent elements of the work of Elliott Hundley, a 2005 master of fine arts graduate from UCLA. His first solo exhibition at the Hammer Museum features all new pieces specifically created for this show, which will close on Sept. 3.
Hundley’s exhibit features an innovative type of collage, often based in a painted or photographic background. He attaches the objects he finds with straight pins and leaves the pins visible to incorporate them as part of the work. Among the torn sponges and meticulous scatterings of sequins, adorning the irregular surfaces are bird feathers, artificial plants, broken bits of coral, cropped photographs and even the miniature paper umbrellas usually found in tropical cocktails.
The arrangement of such unlikely objects inevitably creates a sort of narrative, though by no means a linear one. Left to the imagination, the images can inspire as many variations of the story as there are viewers of the work. One is immediately drawn in by the minute details within the motley assortment of unlikely objects and the methodical chaos created in the arrangement of clusters of them.
The small-scale planning of each section of the work creates interest in up-close examination, and the precarious attachment of entire pieces to either the wall or ceiling provides several interesting perspectives from which to view the overall work.
Despite the exhibit’s probable first impression as an impulsive arrangement of bric-a-brac, the pins fastening each individual piece to the overall work and the clustering of like pieces in the same place suggest a meticulous attention to detail and the establishment of a pattern that seems to make logical sense in the artist’s mind. In connecting this diverse array of individual objects, Hundley’s art has resulted in a far more complex and intriguing piece than any single part of the work viewed alone.
Perhaps the sprawling, irregularly shaped pieces of wood and the individually fastened details are a tribute to Los Angeles and Angelenos, respectively: a city that lacks a true center and seemingly any type of logical organization. Both Hundley’s work and the city of Los Angeles itself, upon closer examination, reveal a careful conglomeration of a diverse array of colors, textures and objects, analogous to the diversity of lifestyle, culture and architecture revealed throughout the city.
Regardless of interpretation, Hundley’s work is not immediately accessible. It demands of the viewer a certain level of patience, attention to detail and desire for discovery, undoubtedly similar to those qualities required in creation of the art itself.
Hundley, through his work, deconstructs elements of life that he has discovered and reconstructs them in a way he finds both sensible and beautiful. Those who make the journey through the work’s narrative are rewarded with Hundley’s unique revelations about the world we live in.
– Meropi Peponides