WASHINGTON.- This fall the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden dedicates the entire second floor of the museum to an exploration of sculpture. On view from Oct. 26 to Jan. 7, 2007, “The Uncertainty of Objects and Ideas: Recent Sculpture” features pieces by nine influential and emerging international sculptors and examines the ways in which the artists respond to the history of modern sculpture and their efforts to create forms inspired by challenging, often elusive concepts. The exhibition propels this exploration firmly into the 21st century with these artists’ shared commitment to the study of sculpture as a medium and to creating freestanding, autonomous forms made from a variety of traditional and unexpected materials. Despite their physicality, these sculptures lie somewhere between an object and an idea—offering insight into how sculpture can challenge and expand our understanding of the world around us. “There is a pronounced psychological dimension to these works, which appear by turns lively and poetic, abundant and controlled, vulnerable and solid, chaotic and composed, ordinary and exceptional,” says Associate Curator Anne Ellegood, organizer of the exhibition.

Artists in the exhibition include: Andrea Cohen, Björn Dahlem, Isa Genzken, Mark Handforth, Rachel Harrison, Evan Holloway, Charles Long, Mindy Shapero and Franz West. Each artist will be represented by several pieces, while three of the artists—Rachel Harrison, Evan Holloway and Charles Long— also have been invited to select and create installations of sculptural works from the Hirshhorn’s collection in galleries adjacent to the exhibition.

The Hirshhorn is recognized as having one of the pre-eminent collections of 20th-century sculpture in the country—from the figural works of Auguste Rodin and Henri Matisse to the abstract, geometric constructions of Alexander Calder and David Smith. Selections by Harrison, Holloway and Long will offer visitors a glimpse into the individual influences and perspectives of each artist and provide an original look at works from the museum’s holdings. This engagement with the collection underscores the Hirshhorn’s commitment to sharing with visitors the insights and creative points of view of today’s artists in a range of ways that extend beyond the traditional exhibition of their work.

Genuinely experimental, the artists in the exhibition respond intelligently to the history of sculpture while offering insights into how the medium can still challenge and expand our ways of understanding forms and ideas. In addition to his participation in the exhibition and as part of the Hirshhorn’s “Directions” series, Mark Handforth will create a site-specific large-scale painted aluminum star just outside the entrance to the museum where Alexander Calder’s “Two Discs” has been on view for many years. The installation will begin during the week of October 2. With one leg bent and slightly imperfect, the piece brings a sense of absurdity and melancholy to recognizable signs and symbols of the urban environment. Enlivening the plaza and sitting on the bustling Independence Avenue side of the museum, the sculpture will offer a fresh dialogue between the Hirshhorn Museum and the Washington, D.C. community.