For the tenth edition of the Armory Show, Lehmann Maupin Gallery is pleased to present new work by Lee Bul, Tony Oursler, Tracey Emin, Hernan Bas and Mickalene Thomas—artists who, to varying degrees, make art using the most and least personal of subjects, the human form itself. Each artist references the human body through sculpture, new media or painting, exploring notions of the ephemeral, visceral, performative and contested aspects of the body.
Over the past two decades Lee Bul has achieved international renown for her formally inventive, intellectually provocative oeuvre. For her first exhibition in New York at Lehmann Maupin in May 2008, select works from her recent solo exhibition at the Fondation Cartier pour l'art contemporain in Paris will be on view. At the Armory Show, Bul's fragile sculptures fashioned from mirrors, metal and beads and hanging from the ceiling explore an interest in the human form both as a physical body and as a social entity.
Following her successful representation of Great Britain at the 52nd International Venice Biennale, Tracey Emin will exhibit new work for the Armory Show. Well-known for her confessional art, Emin reveals intimate details from her life, resolving these pleasures and pains through multiple media. Here she will present a new neon sculpture in her signature scrawl proclaiming her deepest feelings and thoughts.
Tony Oursler's new works are a collision between painting and video. At the Armory Show, alongside a new collection of works on paper, Oursler will exhibit laser-cut aluminum in organic shapes with inserted videos, which have been pinched and pulled via computer manipulation to fit within the splatter forms. Oursler utilizes the body's performative qualities, mixing morphed videos, muffled sounds and odd forms to engage the viewer in sometimes disturbing ways.
Hernan Bas's work explores the codes of dandyism and its subculture as a means to define sexual attraction. Small, frail and sensuously delightful Bas's paintings personify epic romance embracing both the decadence and nastiness of pleasure. On view will be a new work on paper and in April 2009, Hernan Bas will present an exhibition of new work for the first time at Lehmann Maupin Gallery.
New York-based artist Mickalene Thomas is known for her elaborate paintings adorned with rhinestones, enamel and colorful acrylics, which will be presented at the Armory Show. Reminiscent of '70s style Blaxploitation, the subjects in Thomas' paintings radiate sexuality. Women in provocative poses sprawl across the picture plane and are surrounded by kitschy decorative patterns inspired by her childhood. Her depictions of African-American women explore notions of black female celebrity and identity while romanticizing ideas of femininity and power.
For more information please visit our website, www.lehmannmaupin.com, or contact the gallery at 212 255 2923 or info@lehmannmaupin.com
