Karl Haendel's Appropriation Drawings at MOCA Los Angeles

Karl Haendel, a young Los Angeles-based artist, presented his drawings at the Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles from January 26 to April 17, 2006. His work continues the appropriation strategies of the 1980s but with a contemporary twist. Haendel creates large-scale drawings using a projector and assistants, tracing images from advertisements, newspaper clippings, family photos, and other sources. His subjects range from a penny to a Cadillac SUV, often presented as positive or negative versions. Notable works include "Won Scent" (2005), a 195 x 257.5 cm drawing of a penny's face, and "Inverted Risk Over Monopoly" (2003), juxtaposing the board games Risk and Monopoly. In "56,055.00" (2005), he reproduces a brochure page for the Cadillac Escalade at near-life size, including the brochure's crease, and priced the drawing at the car's cost, later reducing it to reflect depreciation. Haendel blurs boundaries between art and market, referencing conceptual art, minimalism, and political art. Critic Jody Zellen notes the danger of repetition and questions how Haendel will reconcile his future with the past.