Hannah Wilke, a retrospective

Hannah Wilke has been an active and influential presence in the world of contemporary art since the early 1960’s. Working primarily as a sculptor committed to social, sexual, and philosophical issues, she is best known for her chewing-gum and kneaded-eraser sculptures that aim to challenge cultural stereotypes of women and female sexuality. of the medium of gum Wilke says, “In this society we use up people the way we use up chewing gum. I chose gum because it’s the perfect metaphor for the American woman- chew her up, get what you want out of her, throw her out and pop in a new piece.”