Richard Hawkins, Bad Medicine, 2008

Although there was variety of work at Richard Hawkins’ Third Mind in The Art Institute, I did not find most of it very appealing. The posterior shots and commentary of Greek and Roman sculpture were clever, but I didn’t feel the urge to stand and read the text. I felt a similar disinterest in the three dimensional works. However, I the two mixed media assemblages and the oil on paper collages towards the entrance were quite engaging. I haven’t been able to find online images, but I believe one of the works in the series is titled Bad Medicine, 2008. The assemblage is made of a stretched towel instead of canvas, and has thick oil paint in the center, applied in a circular pattern. The dried globs of oil paint are dense, rich and lustrous, making the fabric scraps and towels appear delicate in comparison. These materials suggest a tension that heightens the masculinity of the oil paint (and oil painting) versus the femininity or the associative domestic functions of the house towels and floral prints. Even though the oil paint and fabrics come together to form a new art object, it is difficult to escape the individual objects’ previous function in real life. Bad Medicine, 2008 re contextualizes many inherent relationships. Another example is the resulting confusion of having the oil paint on top of the material used to clean it. Aside from the content, the works’ tactile surface and material contrast makes it one of those pieces that I enjoy standing in front.