Events
Installation
Blair Thurman
April 17–May 17, 2018
Garage Italia Milano
www.garageitaliamilano.it
Blair Thurman: Nell’Acqua Azzurra, presented by Gagosian and Garage Italia, showcases new work by Thurman in the iconic former petrol station Agip Supercortemaggiore in Milan. Featuring standardized forms pulled from slot-car racetracks, architectural frameworks, and found shapes from daily life, Thurman’s work transposes the formal details of everyday objects into the subliminal realm of abstraction. This unique collaboration continues the long tradition of exchange between fine art and the automobile industry that began with the Italian Futurist movement.
Blair Thurman, Spectre, 2018 © Blair Thurman
Exhibition
Abstract/Not Abstract
December 6–10, 2017
Moore Building, Miami
On the occasion of Art Basel Miami Beach 2017, Gagosian and Jeffrey Deitch are pleased to present Abstract/Not Abstract, their third collaboration at the Moore Building in the Miami Design District. One of the great innovations of modernism, abstract painting continues to inspire and challenge artists. To make a fresh abstraction today following all the remarkable achievements of the School of Paris and the New York School is a daunting proposition. Yet through the use of innovative approaches, techniques, and technologies, this generation of artists is creating complex and astonishing new work that revitalizes the abstract tradition. Abstract/Not Abstract will include work by contemporary artists who redefine abstraction for our time.
Steven Parrino, Untitled, 1988 © Steven Parrino
Museum Exhibitions
On View
Humain Autonome
Déroutes
Through September 22, 2024
Musée d’art contemporain du Val-de-Marne,Vitry-sur-Seine, France
www.macval.fr
This exhibition focuses on the automobile as a paradoxical object, loved by some, hated by others. Production lines, operating systems, links with fossil fuels, myths, and the unconscious are all analyzed, deconstructed, and reassessed in works by more than fifty artists from different generations. Work by Ed Ruscha, Taryn Simon, and Blair Thurman is included.
Taryn Simon, Finance package for the construction of the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline, Baku, Azerbaijan, February 3, 2004, from the series Paperwork and the Will of Capital, 2015 © Taryn Simon
Closed
Blair Thurman
Spook Rock Road (Kasino-Kut)
November 19, 2022–March 19, 2023
Frac Normandie Caen, France
www.fracnormandiecaen.fr
Spook Rock Road (Kasino-Kut) presents large-scale pictorial installations that serve as a framework for a set of new sculptures and recent paintings by Blair Thurman. The three-dimensional works—made from dismantled go-karts topped with umbrellas—specifically evoke junk sculpture, while the large installations made of monochrome panels transpose the art of “assemblage” into painting. The allusion to the “casino” in the exhibition title hints at Thurman’s method, which always leaves a part of the work to chance.
Installation view, Blair Thurman: Spook Rock Road (Kasino-Kut), Frac Normandie Caen, France, November 19, 2022–March 19, 2023. Artwork © Blair Thurman
Closed
Hippydrome
April 30–September 4, 2022
Frac Normandie Caen, France
www.fracnormandiecaen.fr
This exhibition brings together a selection of “interior landscapes” and portraits of the world in miniature that share an eccentric or fantastic sensibility, loosely linking them to Surrealism. Work by Jim Shaw and Blair Thurman is included.
Jim Shaw, Anatomy Weird-ohs (Can opener; Blake-St. Sebastian Crystal & Fish Face), 2011, Frac Normandie Caen, France © Jim Shaw. Photo: Clérin-Morin Photographie
Closed
All of the Above
2011–2020
September 24–December 27, 2020
Kanal–Centre Pompidou, Brussels
kanal.brussels
Curated by artist John Armleder, All of the Above was inspired by his memories of feeling that he was being observed in return by the cultural artifacts he saw when he visited museums and temples as a child. This exhibition seeks to reproduce that experience by presenting a constellation of works by more than forty artists on a large multilevel platform to form a landscape that visitors can explore from a distance. Work by Chris Burden, Olivier Mosset, and Blair Thurman is included.
Closed
None of the Above
2004–2020
September 24–November 15, 2020
Kanal–Centre Pompidou, Brussels
www.kanal.brussels
For None of the Above, John Armleder invited artists to present a work of art that is either no bigger than a postage stamp or immaterial. Originally presented at the Swiss Institute in New York in 2004, this new staging of the exhibition forces visitors to search for the artworks in the form of a conceptual treasure hunt conceived by Armleder. Work by Piero Golia, Olivier Mosset, and Blair Thurman is included.
Closed
Blair Thurman in
Milléniales: Peintures 2000–2020
September 25–October 28, 2020
Frac Nouvelle-Aquitaine MÉCA, Bordeaux Cedex, France
fracnouvelleaquitaine-meca.fr
This exhibition aims to present a set of works representative of the most significant developments in painting over the past twenty years, made by artists of all generations. The “millennials” here are the paintings on display, all produced since 2000. Work by Blair Thurman is included.
Blair Thurman, Ribbons & Bows, 2019 © Blair Thurman
Closed
Reflections
Matt Black × Gana Art
November 1, 2019–January 5, 2020
Gana Art Center and Gana Art Hannam, Seoul
ganaart.com
In collaboration with filmmaker Matt Black, this exhibition is centered around his short film series titled Reflections, which features conversations with contemporary artists. Through his interviews, Black paints a picture of the rapidly changing contemporary art scene, revealing the stories behind the artworks. Following the film’s theme, Gana Art has curated this exhibition to feature works by these artists, which include Dan Colen, Rachel Feinstein, Jeff Koons, Harmony Korine, Sterling Ruby, Taryn Simon, and Blair Thurman, among others.
Installation view, Reflections: Matt Black × Gana Art, Gana Art Center and Gana Art Hannam, Seoul, November 1, 2019–January 5, 2020. Artwork © Sterling Ruby