Tim Hawkinson

Known primarily for his large-scale kinetic and sound-producing sculptures, Tim Hawkinson has also created important works in photography, drawing, printmaking, and painting, on scales ranging from miniature to monumental. Anticipating the do-it-yourself aesthetic that has recently become so ubiquitous, Hawkinson has been using found objects and handcrafted materials and machines since the mid-1980s to create idiosyncratic works that are intensely personal yet almost scientific in the rigorousness of their processes. The central subject of Hawkinson's work is his own body, which he uses as a starting point for investigations into material, perception, and time. His analytical approach is often balanced by a suggestion of spirituality, though in other works, he reduces his "self" to a simple machine effect. While Hawkinson's work has appeared in numerous recent group exhibitions, including the 2002 Whitney Biennial, he has not had a comprehensive solo show since the 1996 exhibition, Humongolous, organized by the Cincinnati Contemporary Art Center. The present exhibition and accompanying catalogue will significantly expand and extend public knowledge and appreciation of this seminal artist's work. With a lead essay by curator Lawrence Rinder, the catalogue will also include essays by Los Angeles County Museum of Art curator Howard Fox and art critic Doug Harvey, and a comprehensive biography and bibliography. The artist's influences and historical context will be considered as well as the many interlocking themes evident in his extensive oeuvre. All works in the exhibition will be illustrated in full colour.