Curious Cabinets: The Art of Lonnie Hanzon
“My goal is to exhaust a subject to find its whole.” – Lonnie Hanzon
Colorado based artist Lonnie Hanzon (he/him) creates immersive maximalist experiences and installations. He started making maximalist artwork decades before places like Meow Wolf or Spectra Art Space opened and even before terms like maximalism and immersive artwork were coined. It is easy to see, when looking at Lonnie’s portfolio, how his creative vision is a sort of stylistic backbone that has helped pave the way for current popular immersive art experiences. Lonnie’s imaginative style, world-building, and playful approach makes for enchanting artwork in engaging environments.
We had the pleasure of speaking with Lonnie and his partner in business and life, Terry Hanzon (he/him) at their extensive warehouse studio in the 40 West Arts District. The studio is filled with a collection of enchanting items ranging from Christmas ornaments to antique furniture and is the site of much material experimentation. These neatly organized found objects fill much of a 2,000 plus sf studio and are the collections used to inform Lonnie’s maximalist installations.
One of his upcoming installations will manifest as a permanent exhibit carved into a hillside. “Cabinet of Curiosities and Impossibilities,” will be made in partnership with the Museum of Outdoor Arts at Marjorie Park and will have a soft opening for members this fall. Unlike a traditional display of a cabinet of curiosity (also called a wunderkammer), which would feature rare and often macabre objects, Lonnie’s cabinets are whimsical and feature themes like platonic solids, the development of the alphabet, fauna, and flora.
OFM: Lonnie, can you tell us a little bit about your background and how you became an artist known for immersive maximalist installations?
I grew up in Colorado, outside of Pine and now reside in Lakewood. I started as a performer, then traversed the worlds of costumes and sets, later focusing on costumes, sets, window display, and visual merchandising. I was emancipated early and was able to stay in the arts but have really had to do a lot of different things in order to stay in this field–my work in the earlier years covered a wide range of clients, which is why you will see things in our portfolio ranging from singing telegrams to kink costumes.
We did our first immersive project in the mid-80s. We live here in Colorado, outside of Denver in Lakewood but up until recently we have had to make our living in other larger markets including New York, Chicago, San Francisco, Hong Kong. Recently, we have been able to come home and work on mission driven artwork in our hometown.
Can you tell us a little about your personal story and how you work together?
We have been partners for 42 years, illegally married for 41 years, and legally for seven. We met six weeks before AIDS was named. Quite frankly, meeting when we did probably saved our lives. We brand under Lonnie for the art side of things, and Terry handles the business side, which is so important.
Can you describe your creative practice?
I am a maximalist, immersive designer, and installation artist. “Immersive” wasn’t even coined until 10 years ago. Maximalism is now official but was only introduced in the last 15 years. I describe maximalism as a strategy where you use the maximum amount of tools and languages to inform the project. It is everything from the DNA of old stuff to DNA’s of sound, and other languages. My goal is to exhaust a subject to find its whole.
What is one project that you are immersed in and loving right now?
There is a project called the “Cabinet of Curiosities and Impossibilities.” It is a reimagining of a permanent exhibit previously installed at the Museum of Outdoor Arts (MOA). It is in a building carved into a hillside at Marjorie Park and will be a permanent installation. It contains pieces from the original cabinet and new pieces.
It is centered around faerie tale relics, MOA’s collection of early optics, the bronze maquettes of the sculptures that are at Marjorie Park and some pieces from the family’s collection. There are many themes worked into this project including an audio tour, augmented reality, mini-planets, and even a mini-puppet theater. We are also writing an immersive theatre piece that will start in the cabinet and then move through the sculpture garden. There is also a temporary exhibition space for artists to display work. I will have the first show, called Curios Objects, which is a series of domes, ivory towers, and assemblage shadow boxes.
Cabinets of Curiosities and Impossibilities will be on view starting in September for members of MOA and opening to the public in early 2024. You can find out more about Lonnie’s work at http://www.lonniehanzon.com/ or on Instagram @lonnie.hanzon
