Since the 1990s, Marietta Hoferer has been incorporating a mundane, non-art material in her drawings: packing tape. While the material is unassuming, the results are stunningly exquisite. Over a delicately drawn graphite grid that recalls the work of Agnes Martin, Hoferer applies quarter-inch square bits of strapping tape into a geometric pattern, carefully aligning the tape’s filaments with the vertical lines of the grid. The work is symmetrical both vertically and horizontally as Hoferer repeats the same diamond-shaped pattern eight times. Airy and spacious, yet systematic and rigorous, the composition invites far-ranging associations, from the open quality of lace to the geometry of needlepoint or 8-bit video games. The surface scintillates as the viewer walks up to the work: the plastic tape pieces reflect different aspects of the environment—and even the viewer’s body—becoming lighter or darker than the paper at different moments.
–When We Were Young: Rethinking Abstraction From The University At Albany Art Collections (1967-Present)