Do Ho Suh, Andrea Zittel, Tim Hawkinson and Layla Ali - Amy Lu

In each of these artists, there is an element of simplicity and complexity that is behind each work. Not only that but Do Ho Suh, Andrea Zittel, Tim Hawkinson and Layla Ali are all influenced by family and the exploration of themselves.
Do Ho Suh has an amazing sensibility in his repetitions. The way that he thinks about scale, size, especially in the usage of the space that he is provided is extremely exact. He thinks about alternate ways to make a simple plastic model person into different pieces using color, shape or size. From his interview and his Art 21 video, I have realized that he is influenced by his youth in the precision of his father’s style of scholarly painting, his time spent in the mentally exhausting mandatory training and locations, whether in NYC or Korea. I have a profound respect for the focus and command of a feeling that he can elicit in his pieces.
Andrea Zittel has simple concepts, but the process up to the realization is complex. Her pieces are influenced by her family life and the concrete environments where she lives, whether that be NYC or L.A. They comment on the everyday materials that we use that may go unnoticed. There is a lack of interaction when she “experiences” a piece, such as living on an island or mobile home.
Tim Hawkinson’s pieces have a fascination with using and morphing himself, whether on the surface or within. His “emotor” piece deals with mechanically creating different emotions. Pieces like “Uberorgan” explore “sculpting air” in a sense that can parallel with an exploration of what is inside himself in its biomorphic quality.
Layla Ali’s artwork is deceptive. They look simple in their color and figures, but behind is an almost psychotic control in how a color is picked out, what brushes to use for what colors and how to keep it all organized. The way she works as well as her pieces have something to do with her youth, from the lack of control of how she grew up to playing dodge ball and the alienation that comes with being a single minority. While I commend her for the way that she does her work, I also realize that I would never want to work the way that she does.