American; b. 1950
IMAGES TO COME
Red Tape, 1994.
Material: Paper mache and wood
Location: Welcome Center
Not available for public viewing.
Beltway, n.d.
Material: Paper mache and wood
Location: Welcome Center
Not available for public viewing.
Stephen Hansen’s comical, cartoonish figures portray relatable scenes with humor and wit. In Red Tape, two men (most likely American politicians, based on their blue suits and red and white striped ties) gleefully carry a much larger, grey-suited man who is wrapped in red tape - a clever commentary on government bureaucracy. Inside the Beltway shows a miniature highway encircling a man wearing a blue suit and red and white striped tie, a literal reference to the seat of American politics being situated inside the Capital beltway.
Hansen works primarily with paper mache, as it allows him to quickly shape his ideas into form without a significant investment of time or money. He also considers paper mache to be a humble and accessible medium rather than traditional sculpture materials such as bronze or marble. This way, he says, “I can claim to make ‘cultural icons’ or ‘distilled social observations’ without feeling too pretentious.”