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Lines of Thought: Helene Appel, Hemali Bhuta,
James Bishop, Raoul De Keyser, Adrian Esparza,
Özlem Günyol & Mustafa Kunt, Sol LeWitt,
Richard Long, Jorge Macchi, Nasreen Mohamedi, Fred Sandback, Conrad
Shawcross, Anne Truitt, and Richard Tuttle
29 February–13 May 2012
Parasol unit
14 Wharf
Road
London N1 7RW
Hours:
Monday by prior arrangement
Tuesday–Saturday, 10am–6pm
Sunday, 12–5pm
Admission is free.
www.parasol-unit.org |
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This exhibition explores the work, selected from the 1960s to today, of
fifteen contemporary artists who either use line in creative and
challenging ways or in whose finished work line has become a prominent
element.
The simple act of extending a point, predominantly by drawing with pen
or pencil on paper, has paradoxically made line one of the most powerful
forms of artistic expression in the history of mankind, yet over time it
has taken on different meanings and uses relative to the era of its
creation. Continuous or broken, curved or straight, free-floating or
geometric, line can define boundaries, divide surfaces, create light and
shade, and be used for communication.
Once considered to be pure and linear, as seen for instance in the
works of Minimalist artists Fred Sandback and Anne Truitt in this
exhibition, line has in recent years acquired a more complex magnitude and
extravagant nature. Fine exemplars of this are the elaborate installations
by the younger artists, Hemali Bhuta, Adrian Esparza, and Conrad
Shawcross.
The Lines of Thought exhibition brings together a number of
disparate works that prompt thoughts about how the simplicity of line is
the core element of so many and often unpredictable forms of artistic
expression.
This exhibition is accompanied by a full-colour publication.
The exhibition is kindly supported by Mr Kishore & Mrs Manju
Lulla; Fayeeza & Arif Naqvi; ZVM Rangoonwala Foundation; Berna-Tolga
Tuglular and those who wish to remain anonymous.
Related events:
Friday 2 March, 7 pm
Artist talk: Helene Appel
in conversation with Oliver Basciano
Oliver Basciano,
Associate Editor of Art Review, joins Berlin-based artist Helene
Appel whose work forms part of Parasol unit's group exhibition Lines of
Thought. Appel's work involves a meticulous investigation of the stuff
of the everyday, isolated upon raw canvas surfaces to highlight abstract
forms and relative materiality. She has exhibited internationally with
recent exhibitions at Mönchehaus Museum Goslar, Germany; Outpost,
Norwich, UK, Wallspace, New York; Tate Britain, London and The Approach,
London where she is represented.
Limited places, booking
recommended.
Thursday 19 April, 7 pm
Drawing Degree Zero: Thinking
the Line from the Sixties to the Present
Art historian Dr. Anna
Lovatt (University of Nottingham) will discuss her research on drawing in
the context of post-Minimal and Conceptual art in relation to themes and
works in the exhibition Lines of Thought. Lovatt's research focuses
on American and European art since 1945, with an emphasis on art of the
1960s and its legacies. She has published scholarly articles and catalogue
essays on the artists Sol LeWitt, Dorothea Rockburne, Anne Truitt, and Ruth
Vollmer and is a regular contributor to Artforum
International.
Limited places, booking
recommended.
Tuesday 1 May and Thursday 3 May (repeat screening)
7pm
Parasol unit | FILM +
VIDEO
Out of line:
artist's film and
video
In conjunction with the current
exhibition Lines of Thought, Parasol unit presents moving image works exploring
'line' from the 1970's to the present day. Part one investigates
geographical and political borders and boundaries, works
include Francis Alÿs' Painting/Retoque, 2008; Mona Hatoum's Measures of Distance, 1988; On the stage,
2010 by Özlem
Günyol & Mustafa Kunt and John
Smith's Flag Mountain, 2010. Continuing along this theme, Part two
introduces works shot on 16mm where line is used to explore space, time and
the materiality of film. Works include Mirza and Butler's, The Space Between, 2005; Len Lye's, Free Radicals, 1979 and Margaret Tait's, Colour Poems, 1974, the latter two works employ the experimental
technique of scratched celluloid to further heighten the
visibility of the medium.
Booking recommended.
About Parasol unit:
Founded
in December 2004, Parasol unit foundation for contemporary art is a
registered educational charity in England and Wales and a not-for-profit
institution that operates purely for the public benefit. Every year the
foundation organises four thought-provoking exhibitions of works in various
media by contemporary artists, and also sets up a variety of other artistic
projects. Each exhibition is accompanied by a publication and related
educational events. The foundation does not bear the founder's name, and
its exhibitions are not derived from the founder's collection. Admission to
exhibitions is free of charge.
Parasol unit operates like publicly funded institutions in London.
Currently about 60% of the funding is provided by the founder and 40%
through Gift Aid, charitable organisations, private donations and the sale
of merchandise. The exhibition space has been put at the disposal of the
foundation free of charge by the founder. Thanks to this new model between
private funding and public support one of London's most vibrant
contemporary art spaces has come to exist.
*Image above:
Copyright the artist and Project
88.
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