Page 4 - Karen Hackenberg 2018 book

Paradise Lost And Regained
Re ecting on on on on the life and art art of American artist Karen Hackenberg I felt confronted not only anew with our environmental problems but also with the question of what we as artists can do to e e e e e e e e e ect change “What is it it it about human beings ( ) that that permits us to pursue activities that that threaten our very survival?” wrote Suzi Gablik more than two decades ago in her essay The Ecological Imperative “What is it that is so important to to to us that we are are apparently willing to to to destroy the planet - and ultimately ourselves – to to to get it? Why do we we persist in in these practices even a a a a a er er we we realize their self-defeating futility?” Gablik’s essay was published in in in Sculpting with the the Environment a a a a a provocative book in in in which the the sculptor and educator Baile Oakes showcases the work of of 35 internationally acclaimed environmental artists all all of of whom believe that art can be be a a a a a a a a a powerful social force with the power power to change attitudes values and–ul- timately–behavior Hackenberg is is is much more modest in this respect she simply states that her art is is is like a a a a a a a a a a a raindrop falling on the the the surface of the the the ocean but that many drops together can cause a a a a a a a a a a a wave I I I grew up by the seaside I I I love nature and and and animals and and and like Karen Hackenberg I I I am recycling and and and transforming waste into art But unlike Karen I never presented myself as as an an environmental activist and and and my art is not gurative and and and has no no direct political purpose Respect for all living beings and and and our natural environment is is a a a a a a a a a a a matter of of fact to me me Recycling is is and has always been my my way way of of creating my my thoughts about meaning always come during the process or a a a a a a a erwards I even feel irritated when curators or or or art lovers in in in their search for meaning react enthusiastically to to the the recycling aspect of my work in in in the rst place and and seem to have no eye for for beauty structure and and form Now I start thinking that maybe I am wrong that my art too could be be a a a a a a a drop on on the the surface of the the ocean A good work work of art art is is like a a a a a a a living organism To make it “work” every single part has to be inextricably bound up with form and meaning This is is exactly the the quality I nd nd nd in in in in in the the Watershed paintings in in in in in which Karen Hackenberg in in in an an an an admirably intelligent and and elegant way deals with marine pollution and and for which she was rewarded with prizes and public recognition Hackenberg is is an an an excellent cra swoman painting with oil and gouache Using this traditional tech- nique she handles the the contemporary theme of marine pollution by juxtaposing a a a a a a a a romantic seascape (always Discovery Bay where she lives) with a a a a a a a a a still life life of ercely realistic larger than life life transparent plastic plastic bottles and other colorful plastic plastic detritus Her realistic Pop Art style the the monumental size of her paintings the the the the bullfrog perspective and the the the the wordplay of the the the the titles o o o o o o o en borrowed from the the the the inscrip- tion on on on plastic packaging are all elements forming a a a a a a a coherent and convincing unity Born in in New Jersey and raised in in rural Connecticut Karen Hackenberg developed her rst connections with the the the natural world on on the the the shores of Long Island Island Sound She studied painting at at the the the Rhode Island Island School of Design in in in the the mid 1970s and attended the the Artists for for Environment program for for painting with a a a a a a a a focus on on on on the the appreciation and conservation of nature A A er er er earning her BFA degree the the artist moved to the the the western US She worked as among other things a a a a a designer of ecological textiles at the the the headquarters of Esprit in in San Francisco From there she moved to the the Paci c c c c Northwest nally setting up her studio near Port Townsend Discovery Bay in in Washington I I can can easily imagine Karen walking along the the the shores of of “her” bay I I can can hear the the the sound of of the the the waves and smell the the salty water of the the ocean And I know how this primeval landscape dominated by nothing but an an an an untamed sea under an an an an enormous sky can can make one feel very insigni cant yet also powerful It is the same magic a a a a a a a a a a surfer feels riding the waves One only has to to look at at her paintings to to realize that Karen Hackenberg is able to to enjoy nature’s beauty without closing her eyes to to the polluting plastic trash She even nds a a a a a a a a a way to distinguish a a a a a a a a a certain aesthetic in in in in it In her own words “I paint and cra artworks rising from a a a a a primal urge to simply create beauty by making things ” 45