Ashley Bickerton Returns to His Roots By Kristen Boatright
A seminal figure in the East Village art scene of the 1980s, contemporary artist Ashley Bickerton has, for the better part of the last two decades, distanced himself from his early work. In 1993, the Barbados-born painter left New York for Bali, Indonesia, where he resides to this day.
“For me, it’s a very interesting point to be at. For years, I actually distanced myself from my early work… it got really tedious and confining,” says Bickerton. “This is the first time where I’m actually feeling like I’m really ready to embrace it and come around full circle in a way.”
This fall, Bickerton has returned to New York for his fourth solo exhibition at Lehmann Maupin. Featuring works from the last decade, Bickerton blurs the lines between painting and sculpture and draws inspiration from – or parodies – some of arts biggest names, like Willem de Kooning and Andy Warhol.
He sat down with Blouin ARTINFO Editor-in-Chief Benjamin Genocchio to discuss the evolution of his practice.
