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15/1/2009

Out of Line

Lombard Freid Projects, New York

Lombard-Freid Projects is pleased to present, Out of Line, an exhibition that brings together drawings by six international artists. The title of the show is not simply a reference to formal linear qualities, but rather is meant to evoke the transgressive spirit that pervades the practice of the artists represented in the exhibition. In addition to works by gallery artists Dan Perjovschi, Michael Rakowitz, Tala Madani and Mounir Fatmi - Out of Line premiers works by Claire Harvey and Nathaniel Mellors both of whom will have their first solo show at Lombard-Freid this spring.

Collages from Nathaniel Mellors’ series Cannibal Maps refer to nineteenth century colonial maps of world cannibalism. Images and articles about war conflicts, financial crises as well as photographs of film director Pier Paolo Passolini are superimposed on pages of newspapers such as La Republica and The Guardian. The word “anthropophagie” appears like a logo silkscreened on the upper right corner of each piece as evidence of the subversive nature of these collages. Cannibal Maps are part of Mellors’ multimedia project entitled Giantbum that will premier at the Tate Britain Triennial this February.

Claire Harvey's delicate oil drawings on glass and pellucid plastic sheets make clever puns on material and scale while portraying the most quotidian acts and circumstances. Harvey creates a fleeting, melancholic universe of relationships between the banality of sticky tack and the existential isolation of her invented characters. In Keeping On (2008) a man tries to keep his balance while standing on a large ball made of the very same adhesive material used to hold the plastic sheet to the wall. This double use of material as a practical agent and a compositional element is characteristic of Harvey’s work.

Drawings plucked directly from the personal sketchbooks of Tala Madani are visual and conceptual exercises in the development of her paintings. Never shy to confront taboo issues such as sex, violence and religion with a sense of humor, these works on paper are as engaging and provocative as their canvas counterparts.

Mounir Fatmi's elegantly spare, minimalist drawings from his Connections series are instrumental for understanding the conceptual development of his large sculptural installations. Fatmi’s drawings present convoluted paths of graphite lines on gridded backgrounds, reminiscent of works by Carl Andre and Agnes Martin.

Dan Perjovschi is best known for his insightful social and political commentaries in the form of ephemeral wall drawings. For this show, pages from his original notebook, All American Book, made while in the US for an exhibition at the Walker Arts Center in Minneapolis, will be projected directly onto the gallery wall. Each page of drawings succeeds in being as humorous and satirical regarding the state of American politics as it is empathetic and profound.

Concept sketches from Michael Rakowitz’s paraSITE project underscore the artist’s ability to engage social and political issues through inventive artistic practice. paraSITE proposes the appropriation of exterior ventilation systems on existing structures as a means for providing temporary and portable shelter for the homeless. The collaged sketches are architectural drawings overlaid on images of the potential urban sites for the project's permutations.

Image: Claire Harvey, Head to Head, 2008, oil on transparent sheet, 8.66 × 8.27 inches

Opening Reception Friday, January 16, 2009, 6-8pm

Lombard-Freid Projects
531 West 26th Street, 2nd Floor, Chelsea New York NY 10001
Hours:
Tuesday through Friday 10–6; Saturday 11–6

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