What is left

A piece revisiting “Study for Left Hand” by School of Ludovico Gallina (1779). The hand in “What is left” begins in a similar position to the classical work, fingers extended and palm facing front. It performs a movement sequence reflecting changes in the daily choreography of the human hand. Positions and gestures–e.g. holding a phone and scrolling–that didn’t exist in the 18th century are now central to the contemporary hand. “Study for Left Hand” was used as a stencil to depict hands elsewhere, while in “What is left”, the hand and imagined device together create a ripple effect–making the extent of both hands' reaches unknowable. This work, inspired by one of the museum’s classical piec...View all