Ain'tings

Opening Reception: March 20th, 6-8pm

March 20th - April 26th

Dylan Bailey

Dylan Bailey 
Untitled, 2013
Wood and plastic
71 1/2 x 36 inches 

Egan Frantz

Egan Frantz
No Title, 2014
Aluminum, rebounded foam, laser-etched acrylic and hardware
18 1/2 x 24 1/4 x 1 1/4 inches

Ethan Greenbaum Edging

Ethan Greenbaum 
Tooth, Nail, 2014 
Direct to substrate print on vacuum formed plastic and spray enamel 
43 3/4 x 53 3/4 inches  

Graham Collins

Graham Collins
Incline, 2014
Canvas, reclaimed wood, glass and window tint
85 x 37 inches 

Ayan Farah

Ayan Farah
Saline, 2014
Terracotta, black clay, grey clay, dirt, sea salt and vinegar on canvas, linen, hemp and leather
67 x 47 inches 

Adam Marnie

Adam Marnie
Recursion, 2014
inkjet color print mounted on drywall screwed to wall
60 x 27 1/2 x 13 inches  

Ross Iannatti

Ross Iannatti
Hysteresis/Small no. 12-15, 2014
Silicone coated nylon fabric, sodium azide residue, wood
14 x 14 inches 

Chris Duncan

Chris Duncan
FADE #6 (A.I.W.I.L.I.A.B.O.L.T.T.T.P.A.), 2014
Strapping tape, glue, plexi, paper, wood filler, matte finish on panel with maple frame
49 1/4 x 49 1/4 x 1 7/8 inches 

Letha Wilson

Letha Wilson
Goblin Valley Slash, 2014
Unique C-print, emulsion transfer, concrete, aluminum frame
18 1/4 x 22 1/4 x 1 1/4 inches

Aaron Aujla

Aaron Aujla 
Untitled, 2013 
Cedar shingles on wood panel 
24 x 18 inches

George Henry Longly

George Henry Longly
Radiant Touch, 2014
Marble, Yves Saint Laurent Touche Eclat, steel fixings
32 1/4 x 22 1/2 x 7 inches 

Sara Greenberger Rafferty

Sara Greenberger Rafferty 
Untitled, 2013 
Direct substrate print on Plexiglas and hardware 
25 x 33 x 1/2 inches 
Edition 1 of 3, 1 AP

Ryan Estep_Sterilized Dirt BB 1

Ryan Estep
Sterilized Dirt BB 1, 2014
Sterilized dirt on canvas
60 x 48 x 1 1/2 inches  

Ryan Estep _ Sterilized Dirt BB 2

Ryan Estep
Sterilized Dirt BB 2, 2014
Sterilized dirt on canvas
60 x 48 x 1 1/2 inches  

Lauren Luloff Yellow Shield

Lauren Luloff 
Yellow Shield, 2014  
Fabric and oil medium  
22 x 19 inches

Lauren Luloff

Lauren Luloff 
Blue Strip and Sun, 2014  
Fabric 
22 x 18 inches

Ryan Wallace Large

Ryan Wallace  
Untitled, 2014 
Vinyl, tape, aluminum, powdered graphite, cold wax. paper on canvas 
40 x 30 inches

Ryan Wallace

Ryan Wallace  
Untitled, 2014 
Vinyl, tape, aluminum, powdered graphite, cold wax. paper on canvas 
30 x 24 inches

Press Release

Ain’tings

March 20th - April 26th, 2014

 

Pushing the boundaries of what painting could be by using very little paint, focusing instead on tweaking the unwritten language of this storied medium, is one of the achievements of the provisional painters of the last decade, which include artists like Richard Aldrich and Sergej Jensen. Their work has emboldened a new generation of artists to engage with painting, many of whom don’t use any paint whatsoever.

 

This trend exposes an odd evolution for painting in the 21st century. Can these paintings without paint still be called paintings?

 

The unprecedented diversity of commercial materials today has helped foster this trend of paintless works. These materials have become easier to get and are often cheaper than traditional art materials while having the ability to impersonate aspects of paint. Many of the artists in this show are generally seen as draftsmen, sculptors, or photographers, but they’ve managed to borrow more from the history of painting than many traditional painters. They retain what we love about painting: surface, color, composition, and in some cases illusion, while thriving with common materials like marble, Plexiglas, tape, plywood, cork, and fabric. For instance, Graham Collins invents new ways to make tones and colors by putting car window tinting on the glass surfaces that front his monochrome canvases, while Chris Duncan mimics the striations of horizontal brushstrokes by meticulously layering rows upon rows of strapping tape, a clear plastic tape that has a glossy translucency not unlike painting glazes.

 

Ultimately, the thread connecting these wall works is the strong desire on part of the artists to dodge labels like painting, photography, sculpture, abstract, or realist. Hopefully this will allow for viewers to experience these objects without their expectations being conditioned by these kinds of conventions. It will also be interesting to track how the next wave of traditional painters will respond to the increasing materiality of wall works such as these.

 

– Ryan Steadman 

 

ROBERT BLUMENTHAL GALLERY 
1045 MADISON AVENUE, 3RD FLOOR
NEW YORK NY 10075
646-‐852-­‐6332
info@robertblumenthal.com