The Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive (BAMPFA) will mount a comprehensive retrospective for interdisciplinary artist Maren Hassinger, opening in June 2025. Titled "Living Moving Growing," the exhibition will span her five-decade career, featuring early wire rope and tree branch sculptures from the 1970s, large-scale recreations, performances, and workshops. Co-curated by chief curator Margot Norton and senior curator Anthony Graham, the show aims to highlight Hassinger's dual practice as a sculptor and performer, with some works staged in partnership with the University of California Botanical Garden.
This retrospective matters because it amplifies an artist who has been historically underrecognized, potentially reshaping art historical narratives. Hassinger's work, which transforms everyday materials into organic, living forms, resonates strongly with contemporary artistic practices. The exhibition also provides a rare opportunity to see destroyed early works recreated and to engage students and the public with Hassinger's interdisciplinary approach, reinforcing BAMPFA's role in advancing overlooked art histories.