Forum From the Archives: SF MOMA Ruth Asawa Retrospective Celebrates Her Art and Life as Educator

• Ruth Asawa's wire sculptures use simple materials to create complex, mesmerizing organic forms.
• The exhibition reveals her broader artistic range beyond her famous suspended wire works.

Ruth Asawa transformed simple materials like wire into breathtakingly complex and organic sculptures that invoke natural forms like orbs and lobes, often featuring "forms within forms." Her unique technique, inspired by a basket weaving method learned in Toluca, Mexico, started with looped wire baskets that evolved into suspended, multi-lobed wire sculptures soaring up to 11 feet tall.

Asawa's art is deeply connected to nature and emphasizes transparency and the interplay of positive and negative space. She saw shadows cast by her wire sculptures as vital, revealing new dimensions of her work. She described art as "taking ordinary materials and making them special," a philosophy clearly embodied in her resourceful and innovative practice.

Her work is not only visually mesmerizing but also intellectually engaging, intersecting with mathematical ideas through its intricate geometric structures. The exhibit at SFMOMA showcases this evolution and impact, inviting viewers to experience her art and legacy up close.

• Ruth Asawa learned basket weaving from Mexican artisans and innovated by suspending these wire forms.
• She explored organic orb and lobe forms without repetition, evolving the medium dramatically.