Lehmann Maupin returns to Taipei Dangdai for the third year with a presentation of new paintings, sculptures, photographs, and installations by artists who explore innovative techniques and non-traditional materials within their practice, including Billy Childish, Chantal Joffe, Kim Taek Sang, Lari Pittman, Robin Rhode, Do Ho Suh, and Erwin Wurm.
A site-specific installation by Erwin Wurm, inspired by his personal space, anchors the presentation. The installation includes a group of free-standing sculptures from his Icons and Fat and Melting Houses series, as well as a selection of new paintings, which Wurm refers to as either the Flat Series or as “2D sculptures.” The works are paired with designer furniture, made in collaboration with RetroStudio Taipei and curated by Wurm. Parallel to the fair, Wurm will open a solo exhibition at Lehmann Maupin in Seoul, opening May 11th and running through June 24th. Wurm recently concluded a retrospective exhibition at the Suwon Museum of Art, South Korea.
Similarly, London-based artist Chantal Joffe explores ideas of home and domesticity through whimsical portraits, both of herself and the people in her inner circle. The self-portrait Lockdown Self-Portrait in my Nightie (2023), which debuts at the fair, exemplifies Joffe’s signature tension between the scale of her compositions and their intimate subject matter, prioritizing human identities and relationships over painterly realism. Her unique approach to portraiture emphasizes the importance of human connections and individuality, inviting viewers to contemplate their own relationships with loved ones.
Also on view, Lari Pittman’s work delves into the intersection of architecture and decorative arts while exploring critical issues related to gender, sexuality, power, and identity. His paintings are known for their bold use of color, intricate patterns, and surreal imagery. Pittman's contributions to contemporary art history has been recognized through a traveling retrospective exhibition that began at the Hammer Museum in Los Angeles, continued to the Jumex Museum in Mexico City, and will conclude with a new iteration at the Long Museum in Shanghai. This retrospective showcases over 80 works from the artist's career, highlighting his unique visual language and his challenging of traditional notions of painting and representation.
Other highlights include Aloe Ferox (2022), a recent work by Robin Rhode, whose survey was recently on view at Museum Voorlinden in Wassenar, Netherlands; Mandy El-Sayegh’s White Ground (Border Wall) (2022), in conjunction with her solo exhibition at Lehmann Maupin New York; and BONELAND (2022), a new work by Gilbert & George, whose foundation, The Gilbert & George Centre, recently opened in London.