Hammer Projects: Vibeke Mascini
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Vibeke Mascini (b. 1989, The Hague, Netherlands) uses electrical energy as the primary material in her work and as a catalyst for social and environmental awareness. Mascini’s past projects have engaged with electricity pulsating through the decaying carcass of a beached whale, eels, melting glaciers, and human remains. In Zombie and Amber Highway, new commissions that center on a cast of a young ceiba tree with electric roots, Mascini creates a circuit that foregrounds the practical and cultural implications of public lighting in Los Angeles.
In Zombie, Mascini uses copper and cables to call attention to the invisible forces of electricity, exposing the electrical grid that makes light possible. At the center of the installation is a young ceiba tree cast in copper harvested from stripped electrical wires in Mexico City; the roots of the tree are electroformed to a cable that powers an LED streetlight emitting violet light. This cool light is juxtaposed with the warm amber glow emanating from Amber Highway, three sculptures that resemble suspended moth pupae, each powered by its own car battery. Energy courses through the entire system, illuminating more than physical space.
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![Close up image of a knot of cables, with two large moths attached to it]()
Vibeke Mascini, Amber Highway, process photo, 2026Resin cast, taxidermized moths, amber stone, jump-start cables, LED light strip, 12-volt car batteries. Courtesy of the artist. Photo: Baroeg Mulder
Hammer Projects: Vibeke Mascini is organized by Pablo José Ramírez, curator, with Jennifer Buonocore-Nedrelow, curatorial assistant.
Hammer Projects: Vibeke Mascini is made possible, in part, by the Mondriaan Fund.
Hammer Projects is presented in memory of Tom Slaughter and with support from the Horace W. Goldsmith Foundation. Lead funding is provided by the Hammer Collective. Generous support is provided by Susan Bay Nimoy and Leonard Nimoy, with additional support from the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors through the Department of Arts and Culture.
All exhibitions at the Hammer are made possible by the Hammer Exhibition Fund. Lead support is provided by Alice and Nahum Lainer. Generous support is provided by Carla Emil and Rich Silverstein, Christine Meleo Bernstein and Armyan Bernstein, and Bill Hair.
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