Aaron Kramer, “Sense of Wonder”

by Liz Goldner

Oceanside Museum, Oceanside, California

Continuing through August 23, 2026

Aaron Kramer, “Pacific Gyre,” 2019, welded wire, various bits of household trash including a shaving cream lid, toothbrush, roasted chicken container, pasta box, kipper tin, chain, and vintage egg beater. All images courtesy of the Oceanside Museum of Art, Oceanside.

Three-dimensional assemblage art of found materials by artists including the late George Herms and Betye Saar has been engaging art lovers for more than a century. It has been central to Aaron Kramer’s art practice from childhood, when he began scavenging junk from garbage bins as source material. This early passion continues to the present, with much of his assemblage work having become kinetic, expressing the concept of automata, or moving sculptures designed to imitate life.

Much of the work in “Sense of Wonder” stems from Kramer’s penchant to mine his life experiences, and the results are designed to delight children of all ages, along with adults who are young at heart. He is also an ardent educator at the nonprofit Rediscover Center in L.A., dedicated to empowering children to embrace art as a living process.

Among the best works is “Pacific Gyre” (2019), it’s title evoking a circular system of ocean currents and the crisis of endless trash in our oceans. Its elements, all neatly arranged within a welded wire frame, include emptied food cans, an egg carton, an empty water bottle, three toothbrushes and a Mr. Clean Magic Eraser, among other throwaway objects. When its handle is turned the various objects converge noisily towards each other, including a mallet beating on a plastic container and chains dragging over cans. This produces what Kramer refers to as ocean noise.

Aaron Kramer, “Frankenstein,” 2023, vintage wooden box, laser cut internal and external components, plastic doll parts, vintage Japanese toys from the 50’s, and dollhouse piano.

“Frankenstein” (2022) has the appearance of a child’s play toy rather than the expected macabre nod to Mary Shelley’s gothic novel referenced by the title. Five dolls’ heads, a few in a toy cradle, a toy piano and two disembodied hands on a piano, are watched over by an unclothed plastic clown. When the main shaft is turned and the automata rotates, the piece comes to life. The crib rocks, the doll heads open and close their eyes, and the two disembodied hands play the piano. While Kramer’s version of “Frankenstein” is amusing rather than scary, its deeper meaning is about creating life from inanimate objects — the very intention of Shelley’s book, and the defining modus operandi of Kramer’s body of work.

Aaron Kramer, “Down on the Farm,” 2014, welded wire, bailing wire chicken and bug, lamp part, snooker ball, horseshoe, and Levolor mechanism.

“Down on the Farm” (2012) is not only more conceptual than most of Kramer’s assemblages, its overall design is among the most elegant and harmonious. Affixed to a wooden mahogany base, reclaimed from a London door manufacturer, are various objects indigenous to farming, but that look more like sculptural elements than farm tools. These include horseshoes turned on their sides, a delicate bee made from old washers, a sculptural chicken artfully constructed from bailing wire, and lamp parts. All are composed under a yellow vintage snooker billiard ball, affixed at the top of the piece, that conjures up a sun shining over this ersatz farm.

Among the most personal works are “Pin Spiral” and “Pin Spiral Set.” Hearkening back to his childhood in Chicago, the artist fondly recalls going to bowling alleys with his family, including his grandfather, reveling in the sights and sounds of the alleys, of the balls careening down the alley, of the pins being hit, creating cracking noises, and of the crowds reacting excitedly to the strikes.

Aaron Kramer, “Pin Spiral Set,” 2001, welded ring rolled steel rod, washers, auto parts, vintage trophies from high scores in bowling leagues, and children’s toy pins.

To pay homage to these memories, Kramer has created several spiral sculptures from ring rolled steel, constructed with bowling pins, children’s pin toys, and with washers breaking up the spaces between the pins. As with most works here, viewers are invited to play with the sculptures, which are made to be gently rocked in place. This action creates the sound of the pins shifting inside, evoking the bowling alleys drawn from the artist’s memory.

The sense of wonder that pervades Kramer’s being translates to his salvaged materials and is a convincing foundation by which his imagination and formal expression result in delight.

Liz Goldner is an award-winning art writer based in Laguna Beach. She has contributed to the LA Times, LA Weekly, KCET Artbound, Artillery, AICA-USA Magazine, Orange County Register, Art Ltd. and several other print and online publications. She has written reviews for ArtScene and Visual Art Source since 2009. 

Liz Goldner’s Website