Deep in the Dark of Texas. Vast, sprawling landscapes have inhabited the paintings of Hernan Bas for some time now, so the impressions Bas gathered during his residency in Texas seem like a natural continuation of his theme.
It is with great delight that Galerie Peter Kilchmann announces Hernan Basʼs second solo show at the
gallery. Hernan Bas will be showing new medium and large-format paintings on canvas and linen, and
several works on paper. Hernan Bas created this new body of work during an artist residency at the
Chinati Foundation in Marfa, Texas. Marfa became an artist colony of sorts in the 1970s when Donald
Judd moved there and founded the Chinati Foundation. Located in the Chihuahuan Dessert close to the
Mexican border, Marfa is indeed deep in the dark of Texas, as the exhibition title implies.
Vast, sprawling landscapes have inhabited the paintings of Hernan Bas for some time now, so the
impressions Bas gathered during his residency in Texas seem like a natural continuation of his theme.
The painting Thereʼs just no point in crying accentuates the shimmering heat with the yellow and white
horizon in the background, while a young man stands silently in the center front, looking down on a
grave (2013, acrylic and airbrush on linen, 182 x 152 cm, shown on invitation card). Inspired by the
aesthetics of the male androgynous dandy, Hernan Bas constructs an account of adolescent exploration.
In other instances the suggested narratives may double as metaphors for a sexual and sensual
awakening. Usually portrayed alone amidst their surroundings, the youths in Hernan Basʼs paintings
reside in a utopian world of instinctive sensuality. The detailed surfaces of the exhibited paintings are full
of vibrant colors layered in broad brushstrokes. Despite the large formats of his paintings, Hernan Bas
continues to work without studio assistants, thus maintaining a maximum operating range. Recently,
Hernan Bas has explored and expanded on printing techniques, which he combines with painting to add
texture to his works. The exhibition is completed with the presentation of smaller works on paper, which
address the same thematic realm.
Hernan Bas (born 1978 in Miami, US) has exhibited in numerous solo and group exhibitions. On the
occasion of his solo show “The other side” at Kunstverein Hannover, Germany, a catalogue was
published which can be obtained through the gallery. Works by Hernan Bas were included in the Nordic
Pavilion at the 53rd Venice Biennale, curated by Elmgreen & Dragset in 2009. The artist has participated
in recent group exhibitions including “Contemporary Magic: A Tarot Deck Art Project” at the Andy Warhol
Museum, Pittsburgh, and “The Cry” at the Museo de Arte Contemporaneo de Castilla y Leon (MUSAC),
2011. His works can be found in numerous public and private collections, such as the collection of the
Museum of Modern Art, New York, Rubell Family Collection, Miami, San Francisco Museum of Modern
Art, Hirschhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Washington, or Whitney Museum of American Art, New
York.
A forthcoming monograph, published by Rizzoli, New York, will feature texts by Christian Rattermeyer
and Jonathan Griffin, as well as an interview between Hernan Bas and Guggenheim deputy director
Nancy Spector. The extensive and comprehensive anthology is set to be released in 2014.
For an upcoming project, Hernan Bas will install a cabinet of curiosities at the Bass Museum of Art in
Miami November 2013. Diverging from his role as painter for once, the artist will display a selection from
his extensive collection of rare objects in a unique-designed cabinet construction. Hernan Bas has been
collecting curiosities for nearly a decade, amassing items from the 18th century to the present. The artist
lives and works in Detroit, Michigan.
Opening August 29, 5 – 7 pm
Galerie Peter Kilchmann
Zahnradstrasse 21, CH-8005 Zurich
Opening Hours:
Tuesday – Friday 10 am – 6 pm
Saturday / Sunday June 8 / 9: from 10 am – 5 pm
Monday June 10: from 10 am – 6 pm