Elliott Hundley the other side of the house 2012
© Elliott Hundley. Courtesy Regen Projects, Los Angeles
Elliott Hundley, known for his use of diverse materials and his labor-intensive, delicately handmade constructions, borrows from the history of art, ancient mythology, craft traditions, and queer aesthetic forms. Working in Los Angeles, he also references film sets or ornate props in his work.
the other side of the house is based on the Greek tragedy Alcestis by Euripides in which King Admetus simultaneously mourns the death of his wife and graciously hosts the god Heracles. The king splits his house down the middle—one side for grieving and the other for indulging. In this sculpture, Hundley conveys the emotional divide inherent in the play through his contrasting treatment of its two sides. The relative austerity and Minimalist character of the back of the piece contrasts distinctly with the embellished surface of the front, into which a wide range of materials are imbedded, from broken plates and silk flowers to beads and shells, evoking an eccentric homemade mosaic.
Identification
Title
the other side of the house
Production Date
2012
Object Number
2012.10
Credit Line
Collection Pérez Art Museum Miami, museum purchase with funds provided by PAMM’s Collectors Council
Copyright
© Elliott Hundley. Courtesy Regen Projects, Los Angeles
https://www.pamm.org/en/artwork/2012.10
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Physical Qualities
Medium
Polyurethane foam, bamboo, ceramic, string, pins, plastic, wire, wood, fiberglass, paper, silicone, extruded polystyrene, Styrofoam, fabric, metal, feathers, horn, and crab leg
Dimensions
111 x 37 1/2 x 55 1/2 inches
Visual Description
the other side of the house by artist Elliot Hundley is a mixed media sculpture created in 2012. It measures roughly nine tall by three wide, and four feet deep. It a freestanding installation. This sculpture is an example of an assemblage, which means that it is made up of various found objects and unique materials. As a structure, it has the appearance of being unstable and nearly tipping over. The majority of the sculpture is made up of cinder blocks stacked one atop another in a haphazard way. Although these bricks appear to be heavy, they are made of polyurethane foam. An uneven scaffold made of bamboo and multicolored strings surround this structure, giving it some structural stability. the other side of the house is made up of what could be considered two distinct sides- a front and a back. The front side is covered in a dense layer of found houseware objects including broken ceramicware, string, pins, figurines, feathers, altered bottle caps, shells, fake flowers, and a crab leg. In contrast with the front, the backside of the sculpture is bare, save for a few rolled up pieces of paper that are wedged in between the foam bricks. The entire sculpture seems to loom over the viewer, threatening to topple over at any moment.
