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Resistance, Gallery | Knokke Kustlaan, 1 - 30.05.2021

Resistance

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Overview
Resistance

A refined selection of paintings and sculptures celebrating the power of an inspiring and highly symbolic colour: BLACK.

The perception of colours and its use has always been cultural and ideological. A colour is often associated to an economic, political, social, symbolic issue within a specific context. “Any history of colours must first be a social history.” In this sense, the colour is a fact of society and as for each colour, the nature of black is twofold as it has been developed by the historian Michel Pastoureau in his book Noir: Histoire d’une couleur. * The black colour sometimes cumulates at the same time pejorative charge and elective value. Over the centuries, its symbolism has been subject to debate. 

 

Often associated with witchcraft or mourning, from the 14th to the 16th century, black became a respectable and luxurious colour, related to royalty until the middle of the 17th century. Later, the black colour has been linked to modernity. As such the meaning of the black colour has evolved over the years and its significance is now pluri-vocal. It has become tragic, poetic, modern, elegant, and transgressive, often seen as a symbol of rebellion.

 

In the history of art, the colour blackevolved and became the subject matter and experimentation of many artists. As Henri Matisse said “Black is a colour by itself, which sums up and consumes the other colours.” In 1915, the Russian painter Kasimir Malevich presented his famous Black Cross and Black Square, initiating the movement of suprematism, which focused on basic geometric forms painted in a limited range of colours. The black in Malevich’s paintings, discharged of its symbolic substance, becomes a manifesto of modernity, marking a break in the history of art. Later, Abstract Expressionist artists such as Robert Motherwell and Franz Kline appropriated the black colour as their artistic language, exploring the materiality of the colour. The American sculptor Louise Nevelson, on her side, honoured the black colour through monumental, monochromatic, wooden wall pieces and outdoor sculptures made out of recycled objects. The black colour for her “wasn’t a negation of colour. It was an acceptance. Because black encompasses all colours. Black is the most aristocratic of all.” 

 

In the sixties, the French painter Pierre Soulages created the concept of outrenoir, exclusively using the black colour to create black paintings that evolve in time and space through light. In opposition to the variety of nuances of black used by Soulages, the British artist Anish Kapoor bought the artistic rights of the Vantablack colour in 2016, a colour which defies the perception of space and materiality.

 

In the continuation of this historical introduction of the black colour, the exhibition Resistance celebrates the place of black in contemporary art, from drawings, to paintings, through photography and sculptures. The exhibition combines in an elegant way, creations that analyse the emotional, poetical, social and political impact of black pieces. Some inspire melancholy, some show us the expressionist power of this chromatic choice, others analyse the colour in a more conceptual/ironical way.

 

The show will put together works by: Radcliffe Bailey, Kwesi Botchway, Justin Brice, Stefan Brüggemann, Keith Haring, Lyle Ashton Harris, Bill Jensen, Rashid Johnson, Paul Kremer, Allan McCollum, Paul Morrison, Hermann Nitsch, Nathlie Provosty, Hiroshi Sugimoto, Hank Willis Thomas and Gavin Turk.

 

Crucial contemporary Afro-American artists like Rashid Johnson, Radcliffe Bailey,  Lyle Ashton Harris and Hank Willis Thomas in MARUANI MERCIER's group exhibition gives a political dimension to the exhibition referring implicitly to the important socio-political campaign of ‘Black Lives Matter’. 

 

The central piece of the show Resistance, a sculpture by Hank Willis Thomas, draws upon the history of the Leopard (Anyoto) Society, a secret society active from 1890-1935 across west Africa. Although it was a society established for political emancipation and empowerment as a way to circumvent colonialist rule, the Leopard Society is depicted by-and-large as violent, evil, and sexually promiscuous in popular culture and the Euro-centric imagination, which can be traced through the dissemination of the Tarzan stories, Tintin comic, Disney motion pictures, and beyond. By isolating the claw of the “leopard” individually, Thomas draws attention to its symbolism of power, unity, and community. 

 

While some of the works presented in the exhibition have a political undertone, not only referring to socio-political matters but also responding to an environmental urgence, like Justin Brice’s abstract ocean views, other works focus on the aesthetic experience obtained by “monochromatic” black pieces. 

 

Some inspire melancholy, like Hiroshi Sugimoto’s blurred photographs of architecture resisting time and erosion. Some show us the expressionist power of this chromatic choice: Hermann Nitsch’s monumental compositions, or Bill Jensen’s impressive mountains.

 

Others analyse the colour in a more conceptual/ironical way like Allan McCollum or Gavin Turk. 

Using the colour black in an abstract style, Nathlie Provosty and Paul Kremer both incorporate geometric forms in their paintings. While Paul Kremer’s work is in a sense reminiscent of Ellsworth Kelly’s minimalist and Colour Field paintings, Nathalie Provosty’s monochromatic black paintings evolve with the appearance of light. 

 

The exhibition is completed by the more playful works by Keith Haring and Paul Morrison. In a cartoon style, Keith Haring addresses social issues, advocating for AIDS awareness. Paul Morrison, on his side is known for methodical black and white landscape paintings and print. 

 

Resistance explores the different possible interpretations and aesthetics of the black colour, inviting the viewer to reflect on the political, social and poetical meaning of the colour. 

 

* Michel Pastoureau, Noir: Histoire d’une couleur, Le Seuil, 2008.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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Installation Views
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Works
  • RB19.002 Untitled HR
    Radcliffe Bailey
    Mobile Bay 1959, 2019
    piano keys and wax
    123.5 x 90 x 20 cm
    48 9/16 x 35 6/16 x 7 13/16 in
  • Kwesi Botchway Heaven, 2021 oil on canvas 80 x 80 cm 31 1/2 x 31 1/2 in
    Kwesi Botchway
    Heaven, 2021
    oil on canvas
    80 x 80 cm
    31 1/2 x 31 1/2 in
  • Stefan Brüggemann Hyper-Palimpsest, 2019 acrylic and spray paint on wood 205 x 120 x 5.5 cm 80 3/4 x 47 1/4 x 2 1/8 in ref : BRUGG95546
    Stefan Brüggemann
    Hyper-Palimpsest, 2019
    acrylic and spray paint on wood
    205 x 120 x 5.5 cm
    80 3/4 x 47 1/4 x 2 1/8 in
    ref : BRUGG95546
  • P1072626
    Keith Haring
    Untitled, 1988
    sumi ink on paper
    73 x 102 cm
    28 11/16 x 40 2/16 in
    framed: 89 x 118 x 4 cm
  • LAH 2019 Nyame Bekyere, God is Great
    Lyle Ashton Harris
    Nyame Bekyere, 2019
    Unique assemblage (Ghanaian cloth two-dye sublimation prints artist’s ephemera)
    103.1748 x 126.365 cm
    40 9/16 x 49 3/4 in
    Framing Dimensions: 103.17 x 126.36 x 6.35 cm
  • Bill Jensen END OF THE ORDINARY REALM (HUANGSHAN MOUNTAIN), 2013-14 oil on linen 155 x 104 cm 61 1/16 x 40 15/16 in
    Bill Jensen
    END OF THE ORDINARY REALM (HUANGSHAN MOUNTAIN), 2013-14
    oil on linen
    155 x 104 cm
    61 1/16 x 40 15/16 in
  • RJ 2012 Cosmic Slop Little Brother
    Rashid Johnson
    Cosmic Slop Little Brother, 2012
    black soap microcrystalline wax on board
    183 x 122 x 4 cm
    72 1/16 x 48 1/16 x 1 9/16 in
  • Arctic_Ocean_III
    Justin Brice
    Arctic Ocean III, 2019
    acrylic carbon black gesso linen aluminum panel
    201.3 x 151.1 x 1.9 cm
    79 4/16 x 59 7/16 x 0 11/16 in
  • 16 Guariglia Fram Strait Triptych
    Justin Brice
    Fram Strait Triptych, 2014/2017
    acrylic carbon black gesso linen aluminum panel
    101.6 x 76.2 x 1.52 cm
    40 x 30 x 0 9/16 in
    3 panels each : 101,6 x 76,2 x 1,52 cm
  • Paul Kremer Pinch02, 2021 acrylic on canvas 182.9 x 137.2 cm 72 x 54 in
    Paul Kremer
    Pinch02, 2021
    acrylic on canvas
    182.9 x 137.2 cm
    72 x 54 in
  • Three Individual Plaster Surrogates
    Allan McCollum
    Three individual "Plaster Surrogates", 1984
    enamel on cast hydrocal plaster in three parts
    a) 21.6 x 16.5 x 2 cm I 8.5 x 6.3 x 0.7 in
    b) 15.2 x 12.7 x 2 cm I 5.9 x 4.7 x 0.7 in
    c) 15.2 x 10 x 2.2 cm I 5.9 x 3.9 x 0.8 in
  • PM 2014 Night Mist
    Paul Morrison
    Night Mist, 2014
    acrylic on canvas
    38 x 50.5 x 3.5 cm
    14 15/16 x 19 14/16 x 1 6/16 in
  • Hermann Nitsch Rov_53_97, 1997 acrylic on canvas 188 x 300 cm 74 1/8 x 118 1/8 in
    Hermann Nitsch
    Rov_53_97, 1997
    acrylic on canvas
    188 x 300 cm
    74 1/8 x 118 1/8 in
  • Nathlie Provosty Valence Violence Violets, 2018 oil on canvas Diptych : overall: 213 x 238,5 x 2 cm each panel : 213 x 116.8 x 2 cm
    Nathlie Provosty
    Valence Violence Violets, 2018
    oil on canvas
    Diptych : overall: 213 x 238,5 x 2 cm
    each panel : 213 x 116.8 x 2 cm
  • Sugimoto Chiesa Rossa
    Hiroshi Sugimoto
    Chiesa Rossa, 1998
    Gelatin silver print in artist’s frame
    148.5 x 119 cm
    58 7/16 x 46 13/16 in
    Framing Dimensions: 182.5 x 152.5 x 7.5 cm
  • IMG_2898
    Hank Willis Thomas
    Now and Then / Then is Now, 2017
    lenticular
    144.78 x 109.22 cm
    57 x 43 in
    framing dimensions : 147,5 x 112,5 x 4,6 cm
  • Hank Willis Thomas Resistance in Black, 2021 Nero Marquina Levigato marble 56.3 x 11.2 x 15.3 cm 22 1/8 x 4 3/8 x 6 1/8 in
    Hank Willis Thomas
    Resistance in Black, 2021
    Nero Marquina Levigato marble
    56.3 x 11.2 x 15.3 cm
    22 1/8 x 4 3/8 x 6 1/8 in
  • GT 2018 Alchemical Egg
    Gavin Turk
    Alchemical Egg, 2018
    Chalk and blackboard paint on canvas
    80 x 60 x 2 cm
    31 7/16 x 23 9/16 x 0 12/16 in
  • GT 2012 Black Senza Titolo
    Gavin Turk
    Black Senza Titolo, 2012
    o on linen
    61.5 x 61.5 x 3.3 cm
    24 3/16 x 24 3/16 x 1 4/16 in
  • GT 2018 Pistoletto's Bags
    Gavin Turk
    Pistoletto’s Bags, 2018
    screenprint on mirror finished stainless steel
    244 x 122 cm
    96 1/16 x 48 1/16 in
  • GT 2019 Ovum (black)
    Gavin Turk
    Ovum Black Umber, 2019
    bronze
    58 x 58 x 80 cm
    22 13/16 x 22 13/16 x 31 7/16 in
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  • Works celebrating the power of an inspiring and highly symbolic colour: Black

    Works celebrating the power of an inspiring and highly symbolic colour: Black

    Mutual Art Read more
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Related artists

  • Radcliffe Bailey

    Radcliffe Bailey

  • Kwesi Botchway

    Kwesi Botchway

  • Justin Brice

    Justin Brice

  • Stefan Brüggemann

    Stefan Brüggemann

  • Lyle Ashton Harris

    Lyle Ashton Harris

  • Bill Jensen

    Bill Jensen

  • Rashid Johnson

    Rashid Johnson

  • Paul Kremer

    Paul Kremer

  • Allan McCollum

    Allan McCollum

  • Paul Morrison

    Paul Morrison

  • Hermann Nitsch

    Hermann Nitsch

  • Nathlie Provosty

    Nathlie Provosty

  • Hiroshi Sugimoto

    Hiroshi Sugimoto

  • Hank Willis Thomas

    Hank Willis Thomas

  • Gavin Turk

    Gavin Turk

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