Paul Cowan
dal 31/10/2014 al 19/12/2014
Segnalato da
31/10/2014
Paul Cowan
Clifton Benevento, New York
Paul Cowan presents a new series of white monochrome paintings, including Untitled (flower), bear minimal trace of their interaction with the mimes that were invited to paint them.
'A teaches us many things about ourselves as performers: how to begin from a place of simple yet energized presence, how to sustain the pleasure of playing in the moment, how to mine the power of doing one thing at a time, and above all, a helps us accept our own unique ridiculousness, which in turn may transform our habits of restriction in to skills of open expression.'
Clifton Benevento is pleased to present its second solo exhibition with Paul Cowan.
A large painted wall casually leans in the space. One side is infused with a bergamot essential oil and the other, a bergamot perfume oil. The wall sets the stage for affect and effect. A new series of white monochrome paintings, including Untitled (flower), bear minimal trace of their interaction with the mimes that were invited to paint them. Seemingly blank and all alike, the paintings were produced with the same intention that we use to consume the work. They rely on external forces by inviting viewers to use their unique set of visual vocabulary to conjure and sustain the images proposed by the titles.
Colorful bistro furniture extends the composition off the canvas and in to the space. One seat is intermittently held for Untitled (Man on phone #1). Completely mute yet full of conversation, a background actor carries on a silent conversation with someone somewhere else.
Taken as a workshop, the exhibition endeavors to displace content and audience by triggering an emotional dissonance so as to better understand our relationship with painting.
Paul Cowan (b.1985 Kansas City, KS) holds an MFA from the University of Illinois in Chicago and lives and works in Milwaukee, WI. Recent solo projects include Green Gallery (Milwaukee, WI), Jonathan Viner (London, UK), Shane Campbell (Chicago, IL) and Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago (Chicago) IL. Group exhibitions include Middlemarch (Brussels, Belgium), ‘The Next Level’, Annarumma Gallery (Naples, Italy), ‘Duck Soup’, Galerie Nordenhake (Stockholm, Sweden) and ‘Phantom Limb’, Museum of Contemporary Art, (Chicago, IL).
Image: Paul Cowan, Untitled, 2011, Enamel on canvas, 20 x 17 inches
For further details, please contact Michael at mc@cliftonbenevento.com or via phone at 212-431-6325
Opening reception is Saturday, November 1 from 5-7pm
Clifton Benevento
515 Broadway, 6br - New York, NY 10012
Hours: Tuesday-Saturday, 11am-6pm