Critical Evaluation #2

          An artist named Thomas Hirschhorn had an exhibition in West 21^st Street in New York from Feburary13 to April 11,2009. The exhibit was titled “Universal Gym”. Once entering the building, then passing the security guards, there was a small entrance that led to the exhibit. Inside, I found myself facing a massive black ball made out of cardboard and tape.

            Thomas Hirschhorn exhibition was not the typical work of artist. At first sight, I wasn’t sure what I was encountering. The exhibit was made out of mostly cardboards and recycled junk. On one side, there were old and rusty weights and weight benches taped to cardboards, foam, wires, plywood, and what one could only call garbage. On the other side, there were mannequins, some clothed, some nude and some without skins holding old dumbbells, globes to resemble medicines and muscle building supplement tub. The one thing these eerie mannequins had in common was they all had huge holes in their left chest, where the heart should be.

            After maneuvering through the cramp area, the back of the exhibit had exercise balls taped up on shelves and lawn chairs taped to the ground. There were old computer monitors and televisions, set up to resembled heart monitors. The floors were decorated with exercise mats and the walls were covered with images of incredibly huge muscle men. There were also mirrors all around and fluorescent tube light bulbs hung up on walls. I was overwhelmed by other tangible objects, such as fans, globes, trophies, water bottles and other cardboard object I couldn’t recognize, taped randomly everywhere.

            The Universal Gym exhibit had me confused. To be honest, I found the cramp area uncomfortable and wanted to get out. I was not impressed with the exhibit and felt I was suffering from claustrophobia. The message of Thomas Hirschhorn’s artwork was also unclear. The environment of the Universal Gym wasn’t appealing or destructive enough to make me question the objective of the artist at the time. It simply felt as if I were in a messy person’s room or basement.

            What was the meaning of Thomas Hirschhorn’s Universal Gym? Was he suggesting the world today with all the technology to make people lazier needed more exercise? Perhaps, his meaning was, people all over the world were too involved in their own appearance and lifestyle to care about what was happening around them? Was there even a meaning to his Universal Gym? The curiosity of these questions never came to my mind with my first and only encounter of the Universal Gym. There was also nothing memorable about the artwork.

            It seems as my comments are being a little harsh on Mr. Hirschhorn. My opinions are simply the opinion of one man. I would not go as far as to say it was not art. I believe anything could be art if the artist puts his/her mind and heart into it. I do believe Thomas Hirschhorn achieved that. In his creation I can see the effort and the emotion he put into it.

http://www.gladstonegallery.com/hirschhorn.asp?id=1391

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