ART-PREVIEW:From A Whisper To A Scream

All the participating artists in the group exhibition “From A Whisper To A Scream”, draw from the visual vocabulary of Minimalism in their use of industrial materials, deliberate restriction of form, and engagement of physical space, but do so in order to communicate social, political, and cultural meaning in a way that the ‘60s movement always resisted.

By Efi Michalarou
Photo: Lehmann Maupin Gallery Archive

Through painting and sculpture, each artist in the exhibition “From A Whisper To A Scream” at Lehmann Maupin Gallery in New York transforms this typically self-referential genre into one that speaks as loudly as narrative imagery. For this exhibition, Tesesita Fernandez presents “3:37 p.m.” (2001), a wall installation composed of hundreds of acrylic cubes in seven colors of the light spectrum, a reductive representation of a rainbow captured at a specific moment in time, 3:37 p.m.Fernández’s work is characterized by an interest in perception and the psychology of looking, so she encourages the viewer to conjure up his or her own personal associations with the landscape, which in turn become part of the meaning behind the work.  Jeffrey Gibson assimilates influences such as indigenous art and craft, politics, music, fashion, urban subculture, and art historical references to create paintings, sculptures, and beaded tapestries infused with layers of historical, social, and formal content. The six works included in this exhibition are comprised of elements of geometric abstraction and Minimalism, phrases appropriated from popular song lyrics and social movements, and materials such as beads, metal jingles, sinew, and animal rawhide. Shirazeh Houshiary makes paintings, sculpture, and animation that seek to challenge viewers’ perceptions of time, space, and materiality. This exhibition feature two works: “Sheer” (2012), a sculpture made from aluminum bricks, and “Meander” (2016), a pencil and pigment work on canvas. Although constructed according to a predetermined set of conditions, Sheer takes on an organic shape as it twists and grows, creating a sense of movement and fluidity that is antithetical to the material. In “Meander” the artist uses language as the foundation of her gestures, layering contradictory Arabic phrases such as “I am” and “I am not,” until they become illegible. Provoking a variety of nonverbal and visceral associations, Houshiary’s paintings invite viewers to consider the significance and meaning of each individual gesture. Liza Lou uses the language of Minimalism and abstraction as a way to explore the boundaries of materiality, community, and the historical significance of labor. The works presented in this exhibition were produced with the assistance of KwaZulu-Natal artisans, whom she employs out of her studio in South Africa. “Heliotrope / Solid” (2012-14), a monochromatic canvas composed of pale pink glass beads, is most directly influenced by Minimalism and color field painting. However, rather than creating an energetic surface through layers of pigment on canvas, Lou introduces energy and social meaning into her work through the human hand, encouraging and emphasizing the subtle errors, flaws, and variations in color caused by the oils of the artisans’ hands.

Info: Lehmann Maupin Gallery, 201 Chrystie Street, New York, Duration: 25/5-1/9/17, Days & Hours: Tue-Sat 11:00-18:00, www.lehmannmaupin.com