Thomas Hirschhorn

I generally found that Thomas Hirschhorn carries a similar mentality about his work. I heard a quote from a YouTube video where Thomas said it’s the energy put in not the quality of the work. I relate to this because I find that my work is never of high quality or too much time pressed into anyone concept. That’s not to say that I do not work hard, or put many hours in, but for me it the act of doing art and being in that moment of being a creator. The end result is the manifestation from my mind out to the external world. That’s what fun. Thomas seems to be the type of artist that does do art for the people but is very much interested in the projection of self and does not involve a forceful interaction from the viewer. Another quote to better demonstrate Thomas’ views. He states, "I do not want to invite or oblige viewers to become interactive with what I do; I do not want to activate the public. I want to give of myself to such a degree that viewers confronted with the work can take part and become involved, but not as actors." This is an awesome outlook. I find too much that artist create an environment that calls for the audience to act on some manner due to content and subject.
In the 1980s he worked in Paris as a graphic artist. He was part of the group of communist graphic designers called Grapus. These artists were concerned with politics and culture, displaying impromptu creations and posters on the street mostly using the language of advertisement. He left Grapus to create the hypersaturated installations he is known for today, using common materials such as cardboard, foil, duct tape, and plastic wrap. These installations are often site specific and outside the gallery, and/or interactive.
My own work is still coming into its’ own. The mentality of Thomas reminds me of my work, rather than the work he makes. But the concepts of the installations and the possibility of public interaction is something that I am trying to incorporate into my works.
I do not know what it is that Thomas loves about duct tape, but he uses it a lot. A cool fact: Thomas received the (2000/2001) Marcel Duchamp Prize and the Joseph Beuys Prize in 2004.