Art attack: Nicola Vruwink’s ‘Asleep at the Wheel’ series

‘Untitled 1 (Asleep at the Wheel series),’ straight pins and thread on painted panel, 16"x18"

Welder, jewelry designer, prop maker, and artist are just a few of the hats that Nicola Vruwink has worn—all while earning two MFAs and the blessing of Hammer director Ann Philbin.

Known primarily for her crocheted yarn and cassette-tape pieces that tangle into bittersweet messages such as “We’re All Broken,” Iowa-bred Vruwink has burrowed a place in our hearts for her repeatedly innovative work. Her new series—“Asleep at the Wheel” in d.e.n. Contemporary’s group show “Ripe”—premieres a new stretch: car-crash thread drawings.

Vruwink sums it up with the ominous thought, “We are all just a car crash or a slip away from being a totally different person.” These drawings utilize pins and thin thread to map out the forms, which find their depth in shadow. Her new work is full of tension, tenderness and the backhand of hope. And hello—making car crashes out of thread is something we would never have thought to do, which is why we love it.

Crash the opening reception for “Ripe” at d.e.n. Contemporary Saturday, April 26, 5 p.m.-8 p.m. The show runs April 26-June 7, so Culver City meanderers can see her work up in early June during the annual Art Walk.

—Kimberly Waid, Special to Metromix