Kenkeleba house
Kenkeleba house and the Wilmer Jennings gallery

Structures

STRUCTURES: SERIES AND PAIRS
August 3 to September 3, 2022

 

Installation Photography : Christian Carone

Image Photography : Christian Carone

 

Press Release

 

STRUCTURES: SERIES AND PAIRS

From August 3 to September 3, 2022, the Wilmer Jennings Gallery at Kenkeleba is pleased to present the exhibition STRUCTURES: SERIES AND PAIRS. The exhibition consists of paintings, drawings and prints from the Kenkeleba Collection. Images of individual works and photographs of the Gallery will be viewable on line. The 16 artists are: Frank Bowling, Vivian Browne, Arthur Coppedge, Eldzier Cortor, Emilio Cruz, Saliou Diouf, Aaron Douglas, Cynthia Hawkins, Richard Hunt, Gerald Jackson, Charlotte Ka, Tom Kendall, Richard Mayhew, Joe Overstreet, Jack H. White, and Hale Woodruff.

The exhibit considers methods used by artists to evelop and extend their art practice. For example, Cynthia Hawkins has said: The use of series is a way in which I can perpetually move my work forward. While I do not consider each body of work as a series, a group of my drawings from 1972-1974 formed the mark-making strategy I use today. They led to a series of pastel drawings on paper, to large scale paintings on paper and then to large canvases. Early in my art practice I sought structure that I found in forms in nature and elsewhere, and even in particular words or phrases. These “structures” alluded to meanings, some vague and ambiguous, that could be embedded in my work. An important aspect of my practice is that one body of work informs the next.

 Artists generally resolve concerns and questions with inventiveness. Arthur Coppedge’s commanding oil canvas of an isolated First Avenue Subway station is preceded by a drawing of the station with figures that he eliminated from the canvas. Artists explore materials. After Tom Kendall worked with heavy construction materials, he used torn sandpaper and emery board to develop powerful abstract collages. Jack White defined delicate subtlety in joint compound on board, artfully embossed and colored. Saliou Diouf prepared leather rather than canvas to hold his images. Eldzier Cortor explored the reflected light of faceted gem stones, combining their brilliance with dance figures.

 Series are especially effective as narratives. Aaron Douglas captured the aura of Emperor Jones, from the storied 1920s play by Eugene O’Neill in 4 stark black and white prints. Vivian Browne revisited her journey to Nigeria—in 3 separate canvases using dream-like pastel colors and related forms. Emilio Cruz created dramatic reenactments in muted color. Richard Mayhew studied the land in similar locations, but made shockingly different color comparisons. Richard Hunt reveals his sculpture in colorful, forested environments. Joe Overstreet’s surfaces record the light in a view of the sky from the inside out.Gerald Jackson’s diptych structure separates his color system that is infused with the power to heal people and the environment. On another track, Charlotte Ka used the diptych form to visualize the reverberating sound of the drumbeat in color and rhythm. From the other side of time, Hale Woodruff and Frank Bowling are presented in pairs, in works made years apart. Bowling’s 1996 composition adds line and removes physical structures. Woodruff organizes and redefines his shapes in a new perspective.

Kenkeleba programs are funded, in part, by the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council, and many generous friends.