Jim Hodges, Craig's closet, 2023, Granite and bronze, 90 x 57 x 28 ½ inches (228.6 x 144.8 x 72.4 cm) Installation view: New York City AIDS Memorial Park; Presented by the New York City AIDS Memorial, June 9, 2023-May 31, 2024 © Jim Hodges, Courtesy of the artist and Gladstone Gallery . Photography by Daniel Greer.

Look inside Craig's closet at the NYC AIDS Memorial Park

A new Jim Hodges installation recognises the resilience and courage of those who've lost loved ones

Jim Hodges has unveiled his latest installation at the New York City AIDS Memorial. Craig's closet, a replica of a domestic bedroom closet, in granite and bronze, invites viewers to forge personal connections between complex histories and individual and collective memories. The sculpture, viewed in the context of the adjacent AIDS Memorial, can serve as a commemoration of those who have passed away due to AIDS-related complications while honoring the activists, caregivers, and communities that have dedicated themselves to raising awareness and supporting those affected.

“Inside a closet, time itself is frozen in contrasting meters and timelines fragmented in the things accumulated and arranged in juxtaposed order, stacked and aligned or quickly thrown or casually put there to be taken care of later,” Hodges writes in a statement accompanying the sculpture.

“The scene is set and the narratives that blossom come alive whenever the doors swing open, each time giving us a reading, a reminder, an understanding of who we are, where we have been, secrets and dreams we hold.”

Hodges, known for his charged installations that explore themes of love, loss, and memory, has created an emotionally immersive experience within the Memorial.

Look inside Craig's closet at the NYC AIDS Memorial Park Jim Hodges, Craig's closet, 2023, Granite and bronze, 90 x 57 x 28 ½ inches (228.6 x 144.8 x 72.4 cm) Installation view: New York City AIDS Memorial Park; Presented by the New York City AIDS Memorial, June 9, 2023-May 31, 2024 © Jim Hodges, Courtesy of the artist and Gladstone Gallery . Photography by Daniel Greer.

The sculpture was imagined expressly for the New York City AIDS Memorial Park, which lies in the shadow of the former St. Vincent’s hospital and in proximity to many sites central to the HIV/AIDS epidemic.

Although the exact identity of Craig is not explicit, Hodges, has frequently explored personal narratives within his work. Evoking nature, literature and spirituality, those works are a fusion of beautiful materials and fastidious techniques.

By individualizing loss through a personal story, a greater understanding of the collective experience is achieved, adding layers of meaning and emphasizing the transformative power of art. The hardness and durability of the materials used, granite and bronze, are in strong contrast to the softness fragility and temporality of what they depict - the clothes, the possessions - life itself.

“Memory and memorialisation, especially around something as complex and ongoing as the AIDS epidemic, can be fraught,” says Keith Fox, the chair of the memorial’s board. “But the arts provide a wonderful entry point to consider the impact of AIDS, not just on the creative community, but in relation to New York City and the world as a whole,”

“We’d always envisioned the park as a living, breathing space and I hope people see Craig’s closet as a mirror to their own understanding of love and remembrance. I think visitors will use the installation as a place to remember someone they love, to reflect on loss and to feel connected to our shared history. Most of all, I hope they feel renewed by the incredible poetry and beauty of Jim’s work.”

Look inside Craig's closet at the NYC AIDS Memorial Park Jim Hodges - photograph by Tim Hailand

The New York City AIDS Memorial serves as a visual testament to the countless lives affected by the AIDS epidemic, while reminding visitors of the importance of compassion and solidarity in combating stigma and discrimination.

Craig’s closet is a continuation of the Memorial’s public art program, which has included installations and events by Steven Evans, Jean-Michel Othoniel, and Jenny Holzer. The sculpture will be on view for one year and is exhibited as a part of NYC Parks’ Art in the Parks program. Readers can learn more about the work of Jim Hodges via our Contemporary Artist Series book on him.

Look inside Craig's closet at the NYC AIDS Memorial Park