Swiss artist Thomas Hirschhorn, who was born in 1957, ranks among the most distinctive sculptors of his generation. He gained attention in the mid-1990s with his walkable thought-and-event spaces. He does not appreciate his works being referred to as installations. Hirschhorn fills his spaces with simply structured sculptural forms made out of inexpensive materials such as plastic and cardboard, film and adhesive tape. Paper torn from newspapers, illustrations, photographs, and texts written by the artist turn these spaces into sculptures that confront the viewer with political, economic, social, and cultural issues. Hirschhorn’s use of “poor” materials, which has become his signature, is symbolic.
