Jason Hackenwerth, an artist recognized for large sculptural installations and energetic paintings, creates works that explore transformation, decay and mortality. His sculptures are made from inflatable latex balloons woven into expansive organic structures that gradually lose their sheen, collapse and deflate, prompting viewers to consider impermanence.
Since becoming sober in 2009 to be present for his children, Hackenwerth has linked his art to personal healing and emotional honesty. His paintings incorporate gestural marks, layered paint skins and occasional initials, drawing on traditions of Abstract Expressionism, Color Field and Action Painting while adding cartoon‑like figures, fragments of phrases and letters. The process emphasizes erasure, reinvention and the acceptance of uncertainty.
The artist’s recent installation is part of the Florida Prize in Contemporary Art at the Orlando Museum of Art. The work reflects collective emotional states, the interconnectedness of all things and the fleeting yet resilient nature of human existence.
Press release issued by Orlando Museum of Art:
https://omart.org/news/the-flourishing-of-imperfect-skins/
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