Energy/Experimentation
dal 4/4/2006 al 1/7/2006
Segnalato da
4/4/2006
Energy/Experimentation
The Studio Museum in Harlem, New York
40 works by 15 leading artists of the era. Focusing on a group who dedicated themselves to structure and materials, this exhibition presents hybrid objects, paintings and sculptures formed from non-objective visual languages of abstraction.
The Studio Museum in Harlem proudly presents Energy/Experimentation:
Black Artists and Abstraction 1964-1980, comprised of 40 works by 15 leading artists of the era. Focusing on a
core group who dedicated themselves to experimentation with structure and materials, this exhibition presents a
range of hybrid objects, paintings and sculptures formed from the unique, non-objective visual languages of
abstraction. Organized by guest-curator Kellie Jones, Assistant Professor in the Departments of History of Art and
African American Studies at Yale University, Energy/Experimentation provides a broad historical context for Black
abstract artists and their work, and will be on view from April 5, 2006 through July 2, 2006.
Ranging from William T. Williams’ complex polyrhythms and geometric paintings to Alma Thomas’ vivid canvases,
works in the exhibition employ inventive explorations of color, subject and texture. Engaged with trends of post-
painterly abstraction and systematic painting, they are frontal, holistic and utilize primary forms.
At once
-more-
emotional, optical and vibrant, Howardena Pindell’s early stained drawings and later confetti-laden canvases and
Al Loving’s dyed canvases pose questions about the nature of surface. Such investigations move into three
dimensions with Tom Lloyd’s vibrant, electronic light pieces, which were included in the Studio Museum’s first
show, Electronic Refractions II. Fred Eversley’s cool forms in plastic resin, and Barbara Chase-Riboud’s mix of
bronze and silk engage space and texture.
While more militant practitioners and institutions felt that figuration was a better way to fight the derogatory
imagery that centered on people of African descent, abstract artists used spatial and pictorial energy, as well as
themes and titles, to make the social ferment of the time present in their work. These artists also kept their
projects socially involved by exploring the public aspects of exhibition, and crafting art with the idea of
encompassing the viewer, connecting them to the work’s energy, and making bodies aware of their corporeality.
Energy/Experimentation illuminates the contributions made to American abstraction by a group that challenged
artistic, technological and social assumptions of their era.
Opening: 5th April 2006
The Studio Museum in Harlem
144 West 125th Street 212 - New York
Hours: 12 - 6, and from 10 - 6 on Saturdays. Closed on Monday, Tuesday and major holidays.