Cigarette Holder
1990
Wire, Lucky Strike cigarettes
53.3 x 43.2 x 43.2 cm (21 x 17 x 17 in.)
Cigarettes burn at the end of interwoven wires. This seemingly simple work by David Hammons is in fact filled with meaning and poetry: an eccentric piece of furniture, it could also be considered an allegorical representation of a certain type of person.
David Hammons gathers abandoned materials, often found in the street, directly or poetically linked to African American culture, like cigarette butts “touched by black lips”. The shapes and shadows created by the twisted wires make reference to the African American body. Hammons also sets out to produce a balance that constantly verges on the unbalanced. This imbalance is also linked to the relative fragility of the elements he decides to assemble.
The artist’s work in the Pinault Collection was first presented at the Palazzo Grassi at the "Le Monde vous appartient" (“The World Belongs to You”) exhibition (2011-2012).
David Hammons gathers abandoned materials, often found in the street, directly or poetically linked to African American culture, like cigarette butts “touched by black lips”. The shapes and shadows created by the twisted wires make reference to the African American body. Hammons also sets out to produce a balance that constantly verges on the unbalanced. This imbalance is also linked to the relative fragility of the elements he decides to assemble.
The artist’s work in the Pinault Collection was first presented at the Palazzo Grassi at the "Le Monde vous appartient" (“The World Belongs to You”) exhibition (2011-2012).
Exhibitions
Photo : Santi Caleca
© David Hammons
Photo : Aurélien Mole
© Tadao Ando Architect Associates, Niney et Marca Architectes, Agence Pierre-Antoine Gatier.
Exhibition view, Ouverture, Bourse de Commerce - Pinault Collection, Paris, 2021.
