Wexner Center hosts Jane Hammond's Installation of Leaves Representing Fallen Soldiers

Print E-mail
Saturday, 10 May 2008 05:45

 Jane Hammond - Fallen, 2004 - Color ink jet print, printed from digital file recto and verso - On archival paper, Jade glue, fiberglass strand, sumi ink, and additional handwork in acrylic paint and gouache - Dimensions variable Whitney Museum of American Art, NY  - Purchase, with funds from Sarah Ann & Werner Kramarsky, Mr. & Mrs. David Schiff.


COLUMBUS, OHIO - The leaves in the piece—each handmade of paper—are based on individual leaves gathered by Hammond between 2004 and 2008, and the spread of leaves grows as US soldiers die. Fallen was first exhibited at Galerie Lelong in New York in 2005, and shortly thereafter was acquired by the Whitney Museum of American Art. The first presentation of Fallen opened with 1,511 leaves; its iteration when it opens at Wexner will include 3,994 leaves, a poignant reminder of lives lost in the intervening years.

Over the course of the presentation at the Wexner Center, additional leaves will be created by the artist and placed on the platform.

Wexner Center Director Sherri Geldin says: “Having initially seen Fallen in its earliest gallery exhibition, it is something of a bittersweet honor to present this work—now three times its original configuration—at the Wexner Center. No matter what one’s political or military perspective, one can’t help but be touched and overwhelmed by the poetry of Hammond’s gesture to mark each individual life lost with a unique, meticulously crafted reflection of nature.”

Based in New York, Jane Hammond has been featured in solo and group exhibitions across the country, and her work is in public collections around the world, including the Art Institute of Chicago and the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis. Primarily a painter, Hammond also works with photographs and printmaking. One of her most celebrated works was a collaboration with poet John Ashbery, where she created 62 works inspired by titles suggested by him. In 2003, Hammond became the first woman to design the poster for the French Open. Hammond will be a guest at the Spring Exhibition Opening.

Wexner Center for the Arts, 1871 North High Street at 15th Ave. at The Ohio State University. Visit : www.wexatrs.org


Click on logo below to add this article to your favorite Social Website ~