David Hammons has been a central and elusive fixture in the contemporary art world for almost fifty years. Known for his incisive cultural commentary and tongue-in-cheek humor, Hammons’ works often draw on sources ranging from conceptual art to Arte Povera and jazz. Revealing the breadth of Hammons’ practice, ‘Traveling’ (2001-2002) and ‘Untitled’ (Undated) exemplify the artist’s unique combination of art historical references and everyday materials. These works belong to two of Hammons’ most important series—his Basketball Drawings (1995-2012) and his Tarp paintings (2011-present).

The Basketball drawings explore the sport’s influence on Black men and were created by bouncing a charcoal- and dirt-coated basketball on paper. Behind ‘Traveling’ sits a suitcase, symbolizing the psychological distance between professional sports and the lives of those who aspire to ‘go pro.’ Hammons’ Tarp paintings similarly probe the meaning embedded in everyday materials. ‘Untitled’ (Undated) features a painting covered with a worn-down tarp, parodying the value placed on the painter’s gesture. Together, these two works examine Hammons’ broader interest in how much art can—or should—engage with the real world.