Adi T. Hoffman

Adi T. Hoffman

Adi T. Hoffman delves into the intersection of the human body and the mechanical world, exploring hybrid forms that combine medical devices, fitness equipment, and anatomical fragments. Her work merges traditional Vanitas imagery with contemporary elements, encouraging contemplation of identity and life's impermanence. Through her use of oil, acrylic, industrial paint, charcoal, and collage, Hoffman transforms life sketches into abstract forms in a process of discovery, deletion, and refinement.
Adi T. Hoffman examines hybrid amalgamations of the human body with machines, medical devices, and fitness equipment, incorporating elements such as tables, beds, skeleton fragments, vertebrae, and body parts. Her work explores the body as an "experimental field," adapted and expanded to integrate with various devices. In doing so, her art reflects on how the body moves away from its natural state to merge with external mechanisms. Hoffman's paintings feature a strong presence of drawing, marked by dominant black lines, intense gestures, and sensual materiality. The bold use of black patches challenges viewers to reconsider the relationships between materials and layers in her compositions. Echoing Michel Foucault's ideas in The Birth of the Clinic, Hoffman explores how the body is objectified, diagnosed, and deconstructed through scientific and technological means, ultimately leading to control over the individual in the face of illness. Alongside her paintings, Hoffman presents a striking sculpture consisting of four black metallic elements, derived from scans of charcoal drawings. The sculpture references bones and the spine, but in a completely disjointed, disconnected manner, challenging perceptions of bodily wholeness. This piece blurs the boundaries between drawing, painting, and sculpture, emphasizing the tension between form and negative space. Hoffman’s process of discovery, deletion, and refinement transforms life sketches into abstract forms through a variety of mediums, including oil, acrylic, industrial paint, charcoal, and collage. Her work merges traditional Vanitas imagery with contemporary motifs, prompting contemplation on identity and the impermanence of life. A graduate of SFSS California (2013), Hoffman has participated in renowned artist residencies in Norway and received a grant from the Rabinovitch Foundation. Her latest solo exhibition includes the publication of an artist book.