Ruth Asawa’s S.272, see the wire and the air.

Published 4 November 2026 · WHV

Begin with one of the smaller spheres that appears inside the larger form. As you move sideways, the nearer wire crosses the lines behind it. Asawa’s loops make it possible to see an outer contour, an interior shape and the space around both.

The Asian Art Museum records the sculpture as Untitled (S.272), made in the mid-1950s in looped copper and iron wire. The Barnes exhibition record identifies the same work and gives the lobes and enclosed spheres their own place in the description. Those details help distinguish it from other examples of Asawa’s hanging sculpture.

If you can see the work in person, change your viewpoint and look at its shadow. Check the exhibiting institution’s current listing before travelling. The work’s dimensions and how it is hung are part of what a photograph can only begin to convey.