Autobiography, 2011
Mixed media, test tubes, anodized aluminum, unique artist’s book
Ledge with vials: 6 ¼ x 70 ½ x 2 inches
Shelf: 2 x 36  x 12 x  inches
Ledger (open):  9 ½ x 29 ½ x 1 ½ inches
Collection of the artist

This visual poem takes the form of seventy glass test tubes in a single horizontal line. Harriet Bart distills memories from each year of her life (up until the year she created the work) into a small vessel. The tubes imply a scientific method of selection, while their simple shapes, even spacing, and repetition reference Minimalism, a trend in sculpture and painting that emerged in the 1950s toward reductive and repeated forms.

The contents of these small glass containers reveal Bart’s emotional investment in the physical world. Among the objects held within are remnants from past projects and souvenirs from important events in her life, such as fragments of text she wrote for the memorial service of her longtime collaborator, German artist Helmut Löhr (1955–2010).

Bart described Autobiography as “a self-portrait of sorts,” but it also speaks to her imaginative approach to traditional art historical categories. As the title suggests, she often filters her visual art practices through a literary lens. The pages of the ledger displayed with the test tubes feature imprints of each of the seventy corks in one column and a one-word, poetic description of that tube’s content in another.

Publication:

  • Abracadabra and Other Forms of Protection, Laura Wertheim Joseph editor and curator, Weisman Art Museum

Exhibition: