Friendship: Hannah Wilke

18 February - 10 April 2021

Overview

For the first time in more than 20 years, LaiSun Keane is thrilled to bring a public exhibition of an exclusive group of works by Hannah Wilke (1940-1993) to Boston titled Hannah Wilke: Friendship. The exhibition which illuminates the friendship between Wilke and Deena Axelrod, will be held at our gallery from February 18 to April 10, 2021. The last time Boston hosted an exhibition of Wilke ’s work was in 1996 at the Rose Art Museum.

Hannah Wilke and Deena Axelrod’s youths were informed by 60s feminism, which was foregrounded by huge social and cultural shifts. Their lives converged in many ways which impacted their family, friends and most importantly, Wilke’s art making. The works in this exhibition show how Wilke’s art and their personal lives were intertwined. Wilke’s art WAS very much her life and it seeps into every aspect, be it through friends and family members or famous lovers.

A pertinent example of the Axelrod’s connection to Wilke’s work is Bar Mitzvah, 1985 which was produced by repurposing Mayan Axelrod’s Bar Mitzvah invitation into her famous chewing gum artwork. Notably, in a beautiful gesture, Wilke re-gifted the work to Mayan hence making it a forever memento for the bond between her and the Axelrod family.