After a two-week summer break due to my move to Ostend, Little artnecdotes returned again with a new Little artnecdotes post. This week the disformed globes of Thomas Hirschhorn, in possession of the Centre Pompidou in Paris.

Strange and impressive at the same time. Seven shelves full of globes, however they are no ordinary globes as we know them. These are misformed by different strange looking lumps created by brown tape. This work by Swiss artist Thomas Hirschhorn (1957) called Outgrowth (2005) refers to the multiple dramatic situations of actual events throughout the world. These horrible events are represented and evoked by photographs. According to the artist this installation is titled Outgrowth due to the number of outgrowths, think of the multiple problems, wars, the violence and injustice in the world. The problem is not the lack of it but the abundance of it and the way to shape it. The cruelty of the events pictured on the images is very disturbing. Still, this work is not unusual for the artistry of Hirschhorn.

He creates monumental works from simple, basic materials. Foil, plastic, cardboard and paper are bound together with brown tape. Although the materials from which he constructs his works lack a certain physical substance, the topics addressed could not be heavier and form a bigger contrast. ‘I like full-time thinking’, Hirschhorn has said. ‘I’m interested in non-moralist, logical, political thinking. I’m interested in ethical questions.’ Trained originally as a graphic designer, he shifted his attention to developing his artistic practice. He felt it offered more opportunity to be politically engaged. This engagement is not didactic for him. He rather tries and aims to represent the complexities of political and social situations. And with great dedication and perseverance. No one is indifferent when contemplating and experiencing the work of Hirschhorn. Outgrowth forms no exception. All those globes with brown taped lumps and images of violent events let us not forget how cruel and complicated the world is. A wise lesson.