Highlight #13: The artists who go their own ways

Journey to Tokyo, Aberdeen, New York and Berlin

Japan, TOKYO <CY TWOMBLY_FIFTY YEARS OF WORKS ON PAPER>

23 May ~ 30 August 2015_Hara Museum of Contemporary Art

Cy Twombly is one of the most widely admired abstract artists of the 20th century. If you haven’t seen an exhibition yet and you have an opportunity to visit Japan, be sure to see his amazing works on display in Tokyo from May to August.
Escaping the major art trends of the last century, including Abstract Expressionism, Pop Art and Minimalism, Twombly brought a distinctive approach to painting and sculpture by developing a style best described as painted poetry. He mostly made scribble-like paintings, drew lines on canvases and quoted ancient myth.

The works of Twombly have been exhibited in many institutions and monographic shows, including at the Pompidou Center in Paris and Whitney Museum in New York. He has been the recipient of many awards, including the Golden Lion at the Venice Biennale in 2001.
The retrospective presents 70 drawings, paintings and monotypes on paper. To see Twombly’s extraordinary career that spanned over 50 years, visit the Hara Museum of Contemporary Art.

<Untitled>

1953 Monotype in paint on paper 48×64cm ⓒCy Twombly Foundation/Courtesy Cy Twombly Foundation
<Untitled>

1970 Wax crayon, house paint on paper 70.5×100cm ⓒCy Twombly Foundation/Courtesy Cy Twombly Foundation
<Untitled>

1961/63 Pencil, color pencil, ballpoint pen on paper 50×71cm ⓒCy Twombly Foundation/Courtesy Cy Twombly Foundation
<Proteus>

1984 Acrylic paint, color pencil, pencil on paper 76×56.5cm ⓒCy Twombly Foundation/Courtesy Cy Twombly Foundation

Hong Kong, ABERDEEN <FIRST, THEN AND AFTER>

29 May ~ 4 July 2015_Gallery EXIT

Curator Ying Kwok’s group exhibition, featuring 10 artists, is an interpretation of the concepts of time and space in response to a single knot image. Through this one, simple visual, the exhibition engenders an alternative communication beyond language. On the quotidian level, the use of knots is much deeply embedded in our everyday lives. The act of knotting can be understood as a symbol of a sequence and its movements, which has mostly escaped consciousness and attention. Each of the objects and works of art presented in the exhibition seems to reflect the idea that the activity of artists is aimed at understanding the interrelationship between space, time and the idea of a knot.

Viewers are encouraged to explore these various interpretations. Lewis Lau’s painting of an empty playground explores the notion of time in terms of memory. Time also has a special meaning for Gabriel Leung, as a witness of the tension between human civilization and nature. Ching Chin Wai, Kong Chun Hei, Sarah Lai, Law Man Lok, Otto Li, Annie Wan, Cam Wong and Morgan Wong respond to the image of a knot with their own works as well.

Annie Wan <The Road We Travelled>

2015 Ceramics, video Dimensions variable Edition 2 of 2
Cam Wong <Incomplete moments-the black wall>

2010 Etching 192×180cm
Cam Wong <Incomplete moments-the red wall>

2010 Etching 180×200cm 2 Editions
(In detail) Cam Wong <Incomplete moments-the red wall>

2010 Etching 180×200cm 2 Editions

U.S.A, NEW YORK <AMERICA IS HARD TO SEE>

1 May ~ 27 September 2015_Whitney Museum of American Art

The opening exhibition at the new Whitney Museum opens from May to September. The ambitious exhibition reexamines the history of American art from the 1900s to present day. With more than 600 works by some 400 artists, and every indoor and outdoor exhibition space in the Whitney’s new home at 99 Gansevoort Street filled, viewers are encouraged to see the Whitney’s collection with new perspective.

Organized chronologically, the exhibition is organized as a series of 23 sections that built on a particular theme through related artworks. Each chapter is named after a work of art that appears in that section of the show. Reflecting the Whitney’s longtime commitment to time-based art, it also includes examples of film and video from its collection throughout the entire exhibition. It highlights the first section, titled “Eight West Eighth,” because it focuses on the museum’s roots. When visitors face the diverse pieces on display, they will be reminded of the themes, ideas, beliefs, visions and passion for art encountered in the United States over the past 115 years.

<61 Pontiac>

1968-1969 Oil on canvas 51.8×214cm Whitney Museum of American Art, New York; purchase, with funds from the Richard and Dorothy Rodgers Fund 70.16 ⓒRobert Bechtle
<Large Trademark with Eight Spotlights>

1962 Oil, house paint, ink, and graphite pencil on canvas Overall 170 ×338.1cm Whitney Museum of American Art, New York; purchase, with funds from the Mrs. Percy Uris Purchase Fund 85.41 ⓒEd Ruscha
<No title>

1969-1970 Latex, rope, string, and wire Dimensions variable Whitney Museum of American Art, New York; purchase, with funds from Eli and Edythe L. Broad, the Mrs. Percy Uris Purchase Fund, and the Painting and Sculpture Committee 88.17a b ⓒEstate of Eva Hesse; courtesy Hauser & Wirth.
<Ruckenfigur>

2009 Neon and paint 61×369.6×12.7 cm Whitney Museum of American Art, New York; purchase, with funds from the Painting and Sculpture Committee 2011.3a i ⓒGlenn Ligon

Germany, BERLIN <FRANÇOIS MORELLET_DASH DASH DASH>

2 May ~ 1 August 2015_Blain|Southern

French artist François Morellet is having a major exhibition of new and historic works in Berlin. Born in 1926, Morellet is now considered one of Europe’s most important artists of geometrical abstraction. Similar to environmental and installation artists, he works with diverse materials and has a strong interest in the use and approach of exhibition space. His influence can be seen in the works of subsequent generations of artists, particularly those in Germany and France. His work has been featured in many public and private collections, including the Tate Gallery in London and the Pompidou Center in Paris.

The exhibition highlights the site-specific work “Bandes Décimées,” which reflects his ever constant interest in grids, planes and the arrangement of lines within space. He is also presenting two large-scale vinyl installations that cross the opposing walls of the gallery’s vast downstairs space. More of his new and representative works can be seen as well. It is a great opportunity to satisfy the art aficionado' visual expectations. Morellet’s playful, beautiful and challenging works can be seen at Blain|Southern.
■ with ARTINPOST

<Neons 3D : 15°-90°-50°>

2015 Acrylic on canvas on wood, 3 white neon tubes, high voltage cable and transformer 143×133cm Edition 2 of 3 ⓒthe artist Courtesy Atelier Morellet and Blain|Southern
<Neons 3D : 65°-90°-25°>

2015 Acrylic on canvas on wood, 3 white neon tubes, high voltage cable and transformer 246×201cm
<20 lignes au hasard hybrides sur la pointe>

2007 Acrylic on canvas on wood 212×212cm Unique ⓒthe artist Courtesy Atelier Morellet and Blain|Southern
<Strip-teasing sur la pointe trames 75°-165, 100°-190°>

2006 Acrylic on canvas on wood 212×212cm Unique