LA TRADICÍON: Performing Painting
Dates
March 22 - April 26, 1997Curators
Jeanette Ingberman and Papo ColoArtists:
Lisa Beck
Susanna Coffey
Papo Colo
David Humphrey
Sam Gordon
Christopher Knowles
Sean Mellyn
Yigal Ozeri
Joyce Pensato
David Scher
Exhibition
La Tradicíon: Performing Painting was an exhibition which explored the theatricality of painting and the poetry of constructing a metaphysical object. Ten painters transferred their studios to Exit Art/The First World for five weeks. Each artist, while engaged with his/her own work, simultaneously contributed to a larger, collective creation - a living, working, interactive installation exploring the artists' behavior and creative processes.
Each artist transformed an area of Exit Art/The First World into his/her studio and spent the gallery hours painting. The exhibition brought the usually private and sacred realm of the studio to view, providing the public with the unique opportunity to watch painters in action - surrounded by their media, influences, and inspirations - and to see their work unfold. In addition to work in progress, La Tradicíon included an exhibition of finished paintings by each of the artists. The exhibition thus involved multiple layers of contemplation - the painters of their work, the painters of one another, the public of the painters and vice verse. It became a study of the performance of painting, with a portrait of the painter emerging as aspects of behavior, information about predilections, methods of working, etc. revealed a living work in progress. The exhibition grew over the course of the five weeks, with artists Nicole Eisenman and Ava Gerber setting up studios in the gallery space as well.
Exhibit Archive | 96-97 Calender