Blair Thurman at Peres Projects, Berlin

Javier Peres is showcasing Blair Thurman's sculpture

Pictured from left: Method Artist, (Road Runner), 2015, Pencil Me In-side, 2015 and Pushin' Up Daisies From a Pine Box, 2008 - 2015

(Image credit: Peres Projects)

By Yoko Choy

last updated 28 October 2022

in Features

Javier Peres is showcasing Blair Thurman’s sculpture and art in an exhibition at his Berlin gallery Peres Projects. Pictured from left: Method Artist, (Road Runner), 2015, Pencil Me In-side, 2015 and Pushin’ Up Daisies From a Pine Box, 2008 - 2015

Berlin-based Cuban Javier Peres is staging a debut show of American artist Blair Thurman at his gallery, Peres Projects. 'Thurman is an artist with an exceptional, hands-on practice – one who I have been watching grow for some years now,' he says.

Now living in New York, Thurman grew up in Boston, spending much of his time among the leading minds of new media and pop artists like Andy Warhol, Nam June Paik and Carl Andre at the city’s Institute of Contemporary Art where his mother was the director.

He started creating in the 1980s with a desire to break out of the constraints of the prevailing artistic theories. For the show, Thurman continues to mine new meanings from many continuing, serialising forms. ‘I find his treatment of materials and painterly approach simultaneously raw and refined. I became quite fascinated with the way he deals with serial forms – this 'signature content' that he incorporates gets reanimated with new colours and details, and its this continuous reproduction that creates such lasting imagery for me,’ Peres explains.

Thurman has grounded his work on his boyhood interests and memories; instinctive ideas that came to him before knowledge could get in the way of his artist consciousness; inevitably those memories reference diverse facets of Americana. New large-scale pop minimalist paintings are made for the show, Nine Gates and Gringo (FMH), further straddle the boundaries of both conventional painting and sculpture.

A group of his signature neon sculptures will also be displayed at the show which runs till 19 December.

The constraints of the prevailing artistic theories — The American artist started creating works in the 1980s with a desire to break out of the constraints of the prevailing artistic theories. *Left: Method Artist, (Road Runner), 2015. Right: Pencil Me In-side, 2015*

Peres Projects, Berlin — Thurman grew up in Boston, spending much of his time among the leading minds of new media and pop artists. *Left: Pushin' Up Daisies From a Pine Box, 2008 - 2015. Right: Pencil Me In, 2015*

Raw refinement — Thurman has grounded his work on his boyhood interests and memories. Left: *Gringo (FMH)*, 2015. Right: *Ticonderoga (Pencil Me In)*, 2015

Neon sculptures — A group of his signature neon sculptures are also on display. *Left: Waffle House in the Nick of Time, 2015. Right: Nine Gates, 2015*

INFORMATION
Blair Thurman is on show at Peres Project till 19 Decemer. For more information, visit the website

Photography courtesy of Peres Projects

ADDRESS

Karl-Marx-Allee 82
10243 Berlin
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Yoko Choy is the China editor at Wallpaper* magazine, where she has contributed for over a decade. Her work has also been featured in numerous Chinese and international publications. As a creative and communications consultant, Yoko has worked with renowned institutions such as Art Basel and Beijing Design Week, as well as brands such as Hermès and Assouline. With dual bases in Hong Kong and Amsterdam, Yoko is an active participant in design awards judging panels and conferences, where she shares her mission of promoting cross-cultural exchange and translating insights from both the Eastern and Western worlds into a common creative language. Yoko is currently working on several exciting projects, including a sustainable lifestyle concept and a book on Chinese contemporary design.