SOUTHFIRST 60 N6th Street
Brooklyn, NY 11211 www.southfirst.org ph 718 599 4884
ÒAMHHAÓ
Richard Evans
7 October – 6 November, 2011
SOUTHFIRST
is proud to present ÒAMHHA,Ó an exhibition of new drawings and 3-D studies by Richard
Evans. The show is on view from 7 October – 6 November, 2011. The title is
an anagram of the name of a book by Max Ernst which was recouped by electronic
musician Morton Subotnick to entitle a series of Òimaginary ballets.Ó
Fasgalo (2011) is a
series of eight framed photographs of sculptures. The objects resemble
Surrealist sculptures or African ceremonial objects. Their presentation echoes
early-Twentieth century photography of Modernist sculpture like that of
Giacometti or Brancusi; small, black-and-white photographs in tight black
frames, setting off moodily lit fetish objects. A complementary series, Objcts
(2011), feature in five color photographs similar quasi-Surrealist sculptures
which reference maquettes by Max Ernst.
Another sculptural series is loosely
grouped around the theme of sound. It features guitar strings threaded through
fine art materials: a block of alabaster, a concrete box. The hanging
microphone of IIII_Interior (2011) reworks Steve ReichÕs pendulum piece
but highlights the vibratory potential of material like Perspex, plasteline
and dust. The works reference PicassoÕs guitar collages and some of the play
and metaphorical material explorations of synthetic cubism. Some sculptures are
studies in contrasts, such as collapsed polyurethane rubber on a steel
armature; other pieces utilize materials with metaphorical implications, such
as aspirin, talcum powder, and Vaseline, or subvert expectations of materials,
such as rubber reliefs of wood.
EvansÕs explorations seem nostalgic
for a between-the-wars Modernist style, referencing names and exhibition
strategies from the 1930s. Yet the show also playfully reworks materials, imaginary
systems, and Fluxus tactics.
Richard
Evans, b. 1976 in Birmingham, UK, has exhibited in solo
shows with Maureen Paley gallery, London. His work has recently appeared in
group shows at the Saatchi gallery, London, Foxy Production, New York, and in
the Hermitage, St. Petersburg, as well as appearing in the exhibition ÒA
Testbed of Futurity,Ó at Southfirst in 2010. He founded and ran The Ship Projects, an
independent gallery in London between 2003-2007. His work is in the collections
of Bernard Arnaud, Dior, and Saatchi. His work has been featured in The
Guardian, The Art Newspaper, The New York Times, tema
celeste, Untitled, and Flash Art, among other publications. He
previously exhibited under the name Dick Evans.
SOUTHFIRST,
founded in 2000, is located at 60 N6th Street in Williamsburg, Brooklyn between
Wythe and Kent Avenues. Gallery hours are Saturday and Sunday from 1-6 PM and
by appointment. Subway: L train to Bedford Avenue. For more information,
please contact Maika Pollack at 718 599 4884 or info@southfirst.org.