Ode to Hilma - Rod Lathim

“Ode to Hilma”

Wood, Solid and Beaded Neon, metal sphere, acrylic

28” T x 12” W x 12” W

Ode to Hilma is a sculptural homage to Hilma af Klint’s visionary language of spirals, ascension, and the unseen architecture of time and realities. Inspired directly by her painting “Altarpiece #2”, this work reimagines her symbolic exploration of stacked, simultaneous consciousness.

An abstract triangular form rises like a small altar, its curved abstract shapes and swirling cobalt neon echoing the movement of energy across parallel planes of time. Its slanted top gestures upward, inviting contemplation of realms beyond the linear and the physical. 

Suspended above this painted geometry is a mirrored, celestial sphere orbited by three clear neon rings, reflecting both the spiral structure of the Guggenheim Museum (The Temple) and af Klint’s repeated motif of the cosmic spiral. Pumped with krypton gas, the rings float kinetic strings of pearlescent light. 

The viewer’s reflection appears within the mirrored orb, inviting them into the work’s symbolism: a reminder that each of us exists simultaneously in many layers of experience, and that we are co-creators within the luminous spiral of time and Spirit.