K²:KM:02, 2015
- Medium
- Romeldale (Latham), California Variegated Mutant (Nyssa), California Variegated Mutant (Kaydra), mixed Border Leicester California Cariegated Mutant/Rambouillet/Finnsheep (Snickers), Romney (McKenzie), Romney (Nashua) fibers; bamboo carbon fiber, holograp
- Dimensions
- 59 1/8 × 59 1/8 in. (150.18 × 150.18 cm)
- Accession Number
- 2021.46
- Credit
The Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles
Gift of Dana and Stephen Sigoloff
Uninterested in readily available materials, Hansen literally makes his own by processing the raw fleece of heritage breed sheep and dyeing and spinning it into yarn. He then knits, weaves, and felts this material into patterns and designs determined by elaborate computer algorithms developed by the artist himself. These algorithms structure, for example, the starting points, color, direction, and density of Hansen’s knitting. The resulting irregular, undulating compositions cite the gestural brushstrokes and organic forms historically associated with abstract painting. However, by approaching painting’s aesthetics through computation and a systematized conceptual framework, Hansen subverts the genre’s conventional associations with spontaneity and individual expression, exposing its uncertainty.
