Herrat Sommerhoff
My work is perhaps best described in 2 reviews by the late NEW YORK TIMES art critic WILLIAM ZIMMER:
“…..The work of Herrat Sommerhoff is in the tradition of good old American Dada, a tradition that does not only use found objects in an ironic way, but rather celebrates them.
…..Ms. Sommerhoff is one of those artists who regard trash not as an eye sore but as a golden opportunity. One can see through the bright paint of her wall reliefs and recognize the plastic foam packing material, which forms the matrix for sculpture that also includes cups and trays so well integrated and disguised that one momentarily forgets their origin. Another piece is an especially handsome grid of half-pint-size milk cartons painted a variety of bright colors, but the colors are seemingly arranged at random. One appreciates for the first time the crisp geometry in ordinary milk cartons and this is a salutary experience.”
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“….. The relief sculptures by Herrat Sommerhoff are very hands-on. Half the fun is the viewer’s thinking he could duplicate these pieces, made from egg cartons, plastic bottles, cardboard rolls for paper towels, Styrofoam trays and all sorts of packing materials. But they require a sharp sense of design and color as well as diligence.
Ms. Sommerhoff has a gift for making tedium happy. Her colors are bright… In some pieces, Frank Stella and his inventive, colorful geometry come to mind.
One of the most successful works is “Lemons and Limes.” The citrus fruits are painted on top of the low relief of the source material, which was designed for packing another kind of fruit, apples. The result is elegant, like a large Islamic mosaic work….”
“…..The work of Herrat Sommerhoff is in the tradition of good old American Dada, a tradition that does not only use found objects in an ironic way, but rather celebrates them.
…..Ms. Sommerhoff is one of those artists who regard trash not as an eye sore but as a golden opportunity. One can see through the bright paint of her wall reliefs and recognize the plastic foam packing material, which forms the matrix for sculpture that also includes cups and trays so well integrated and disguised that one momentarily forgets their origin. Another piece is an especially handsome grid of half-pint-size milk cartons painted a variety of bright colors, but the colors are seemingly arranged at random. One appreciates for the first time the crisp geometry in ordinary milk cartons and this is a salutary experience.”
*************************************************************
“….. The relief sculptures by Herrat Sommerhoff are very hands-on. Half the fun is the viewer’s thinking he could duplicate these pieces, made from egg cartons, plastic bottles, cardboard rolls for paper towels, Styrofoam trays and all sorts of packing materials. But they require a sharp sense of design and color as well as diligence.
Ms. Sommerhoff has a gift for making tedium happy. Her colors are bright… In some pieces, Frank Stella and his inventive, colorful geometry come to mind.
One of the most successful works is “Lemons and Limes.” The citrus fruits are painted on top of the low relief of the source material, which was designed for packing another kind of fruit, apples. The result is elegant, like a large Islamic mosaic work….”