Santa Fe–based artist Hilary Nelson plays between image and object, with their sculptural experiments centering around an obsession with the back jack.
Santa Fe, New Mexico / hilary-nelson.com / @hilinelson
Santa Fe–based artist Hilary Nelson is obsessed with one thing that might just be the last thing you’d imagine: the back jack. In case you’ve never heard of it, the back jack is an ergonomic, legless chair of sorts that provides a floorsitter with back and lumbar support. Some people take it camping or to the beach, while others might use it to watch TV. Nelson takes it to the studio.
The artist (who uses she/they pronouns) has a connection to the back jack because they grew up in a meditation community and many people used the chair while, well, meditating. Hundreds at a time, in a line. But in Nelson’s world, the chair becomes something altogether different, something sculptural. “The way I felt about a back jack became a precedent,” says Nelson. “This standard, utilitarian object could take on a different meaning; it could lose its recognizability through context. It could become alien through familiarity.”
And so, iterations abound. Blue Jack (2022), made from automotive towels, wire, and surgical foam, reclines in the dirt, giving off a drying rack or car seat vibe. The wire and clay frame that shapes Passenger Back Jack (2023), outfitted with pieces of a green exercise ball, mimics a digital photo composition of a group of dirty, tipped-over folding tables and chairs tucked in the woods.
This play between image and object, with Nelson’s interest ping-ponging between the two, provides a framework in which to experiment. “Can I take something that is recognizable and change my association with it, in turn asking myself to be more open when I encounter other materials and objects in the world?” Nelson asks. “The repeated back jack demonstrates to me that we cannot consume something without ourselves being consumed.”
So sit back, Jack, and let that sink in.
