In Order of their Appearance…

In Order of their Appearance…

Bernd and Hilla Becher, Joseph Beuys, Hanne Darboven, Peter Dreher, Hans-Peter Feldmann, On Kawara, Niele Toroni
January 18–April 20, 2019
Opening Reception: Friday, January 18, 6–9pm

In Order of their Appearance… features a selection of works which exhibit a dramatic quality in their repetition and/or variation. The visual equivalent of a Leitmotif, each work conveys a seriality that alludes to or incorporates a means of mechanical production, yet retains a variable of human fallibility inherent in either its representation or creation.

Bernd and Hilla Becher’s austere shadow-less photographs of structures, confronted head on and displayed in grids, catalogue industrial relics that are ubiquitous in or around large cities. Universal scepters of a mechanized past, the photos challenge the viewer to imagine the builders of these armatures, instigating a silent conversation about labor, obsolescence and the weight of history upon the future.

An array of multiples by Joseph Beuys made between 1968-1980 are arranged in a large vitrine, referencing the presentation method Beuys often chose to exhibit his work throughout his career. The multiples illuminate a special place in Beuys’ oeuvre; he once famously proclaimed “if you have all my multiples, then you have me completely.” Predominately inspired by a desire to disseminate his ideas in a broader context, he created multiples of posters, objects, and collages, at times leaving them unsigned and belonging to unlimited editions.

“I inscribe, but I describe nothing” a quote attributed to Hanne Darboven evokes the essence contained in her large scale, minimalist projects. On view is a set of 31 postcards with sequential mathematical equations transcribed on each, addressed to the same recipient and dated between June 1—30, 1988. Known for meticulously recording the passage of time, An Ubiquist also the portrays the artist’s preoccupation with modes of communication and the enigmatic yet universality of numbers.

Peter Dreher is known for his repetitive, durational process of painting the same object or space thousands of times often spanning decades. The body of work presented here, Tag um Tag guter Tag, is an homage to painting itself, and exemplifies a meditative dedication to the act of seeing.

Although considered a pioneering conceptual artist, Hans-Peter Feldmann often refers to himself simply as a ‘collector of images.’ Often cataloguing and assembling found objects, Feldmann constructs a visual compendium that has no hierarchy of import. Belonging to a small series of plaster works, Eva references the biblical Eve painted in garish tones, drawing a parallel between mass-marketed consumerism and elegant, classical sculpture.

For the series I Got Up (1968–79), On Kawara sent two postcards every day to friends, family members, collectors, and colleagues. Combining a standardized visual shorthand for a place while relaying personal information, this series epitomizes the dilemma of contemporary life, utilizing established strictures to communicate a human event that though mundane, may still be miraculous.

Niele Toroni has been steadily creating his recognizable paint imprints, made consistently with a no. 50 paintbrush 30 centimeters apart on various substrates, since 1967. Belonging to the first generation of European conceptual artists, he co-founded the BMPT along with Daniel Buren, Olivier Mosset, and Michel Parmentier. Here, three tondos are presented which were once installed on the lids of multiple wine barrels as part of an installation at CAPC Musée d’art Contemporain de Bordeaux, France.