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Artist Statement
Do
Ask, Do Tell celebrates conversation. Though the obvious reference is the
policy on gays serving openly in the US military, the text can also be
read as a proclamation about openness in general. When worn in public, it
invites dialogue and discussion.
In my knitted work, I generally make sweaters that reflect my own thoughts on
various political and personal issues. The text is often tied to a particular
time, by referring to specific events. I'm interested in the way time
changes their meaning, how fabric can outlast sentiment. I've been making
sweaters for six years now, and I occasionally still wear my old John Kerry
sweater around, just to feel the sting of bittersweet nostalgia and remind
those around me of the not too distant history. My sweaters are made in only in
my size, and part of the work is the public performance of wearing them. It's
difficult for me to make sweaters for others. Putting text on a sweater feels
like putting words into someone's mouth. When the Hammer invited me to make an
edition for them, my goal was to make something that was politically topical,
celebratory, and not overly confrontational. Something wearable, maybe even
polite.
"Don't Ask Don't Tell" provided the inspiration for this piece. To
quarantine one aspect of identity through silence is ridiculous.
An antidote to Don't Ask Don't Tell is Do Ask Do Tell.
Counter secrecy with openness. Collapse discord through discussion. Ask a lot
of questions. Talk back. Bring a voice into the conversation, change a mind or
have yours changed. Do Ask Do Tell!
Do Ask, Do Tell, 2011
Knit, 100% Merino Wool
Dimensions: 8 x 56 inches
Edition
of 50
5 APs
$300 + tax
Hammer Contributor
level members and above receive a 10% discount. For details or to join, contact Laura Sils at 310.443.7023 or lsils@hammer.ucla.edu.
Artist Bio
Lisa Anne
Auerbach was included in the Hammer Museum's 2009 Invitational, Nine
Lives: Visionary Artists from Los Angeles. Her practice
is interdisciplinary and takes the form of photography, publications
and, more often than not, knitting. Combining humor with a
biting critique of the complacency and routine of modern life, her work
inserts itself into the visual and social fabric of the communities that she
engages. Auerbach was the subject of a solo show at the University of
Michigan Art Museum in 2009. She received her BA from the Rochester Institute
of Technology and her MFA from Art Center College of Design. She is represented
by Gavlak, Palm Beach,
Florida. |
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