Sam Gilliam, a renowned American Abstract Expressionist, debuted new works artist-led retrospective “Existed Existing” at Pace Gallery in New York City. Among these works are a series of stacked wood and aluminum objects cut into geometric forms and drenched in colorful pigments. Pyramids, concentric circles, and parallelograms represent urban change and new wave African influences he observed in Basel, Switzerland’s diverse community. The pyramids seem to float above the floor like a musical experience. The works celebrate color and diversity in the ever changing city atmosphere. Their materiality is challenged by the color and the shape, transforming humble pieces of wood and metals into sleek and harmonious sculptures.
The second series of new works included in this exhibition are large-scale paintings that further explore color. In these works, he approaches color in a layered approach. Mixed with sawdust and other filaments from his studio, the paint is built up into thick layers of scrapped, dripped, swiped, and dropped paint. A third series contains monochromatic paintings on washi paper. Similar to the sculptural works, this series also manipulates the material sense of the paper by building up the layers of paint. The paper no longer holds paint, but is smothered in color.
As Gilliam’s second retrospective in the United States, the exhibition explores the minimal, but joyful aesthetic that is key to his work. The collection brings together older works from previous decades with his current paintings and sculptures to showcase the changing approaches to color and context.
Installation view, Sam Gilliam: Existed Existing, Pace Gallery, New York, Nov 6 – Dec 19, 2020 © Sam Gilliam / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York
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