Signature stripes: Daniel Buren heads a new group show at Hannah Hoffman
Six artists, six works. A minimal group show at Hannah Hoffman gallery – titled simply(ish), 'Daniel Buren, Sam Lewitt, Wilfredo Prieto, Charles Ray, Pamela Rosenkranz, Joe Zorrilla' – is a deliberately pared down presentation by these artists, who, though born between 1938 and 1982, forge a natural visual connection in the space. It’s typical of Hoffman's style of exhibition making; at her space in Hollywood, the fewer preconceptions the viewer comes with, the better. A tough call with such huge names on show.
Beyond a coherent, visual connection that is allowed to breathe quite naturally in the gallery's arrangement, these artists share a conceptual interest in expressing something of the architecture that surrounds and shapes us – be it biological, historical, social, material – that influences our view of the art. The works do this by disrupting the space they inhabit rather than representing it. In Charles Ray’s photograph, Untitled (1973) a figure shot from below dangles precariously, bound to a tree, in dialogue with Sam Lewitt's similarly strung wall sculpture. Ripples disband out in Prieto's Crocodile Tears (2011) and Joe Zorilla, who has previously been featured at the gallery, presents a sculpture, Neither/nor, using diametric materials that at once slump down the wall, ready to trip you up, and extend upwards in a sensuous invitation to climb.
Pamela Rosenkranz, who represents Switzerland at the current iteration of the Venice Biennale, here shows a work from a new series – a digital reproduction of Vittore Carpaccio's The Miracle of the Cross at the Ponte di Rialto (c. 1496). Rosenkranz uses a mixture of acrylic medium and the skin coloured pigment used in Our Product (the liquid she created for her Swiss Pavilion project), on an enlarged watermarked print mounted on paper, then plexiglass.
At the heart of it all sits a work by Buren from 1974 – almost a decade after the artist began to create his now instantly recognisable in-situ stripes. The piece at Hoffman illustrates the history of his trademark motif, but also acts as an anchor to the divergent practices of the others; a kind of literal and conceptual jumping board for interrogating the space. Buren guides the viewer upwards and outwards to contemplate how the outside informs perception and viewing. As ever, Buren's mesmerising work paradoxically becomes a core attraction of the space it inhabits.
INFORMATION
’Daniel Buren, Sam Lewitt, Wilfredo Prieto, Charles Ray, Pamela Rosenkranz, Joe Zorrilla’ is on view until 16 January 2016. For more information, visit Hannah Hoffman Gallery’s website
Photography: Michael Underwood. Courtesy the artists and Hannah Hoffman Gallery
ADDRESS
Hannah Hoffman Gallery
1010 Highland Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90038
Wallpaper* Newsletter
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox.
Charlotte Jansen is a journalist and the author of two books on photography, Girl on Girl (2017) and Photography Now (2021). She is commissioning editor at Elephant magazine and has written on contemporary art and culture for The Guardian, the Financial Times, ELLE, the British Journal of Photography, Frieze and Artsy. Jansen is also presenter of Dior Talks podcast series, The Female Gaze.
-
‘Very Roman, very Bulgari’: Mary Katrantzou on the ancient roots of her opulent first accessories collection for Bulgari
Greek fashion designer Mary Katrantzou, Bulgari’s new creative director of leather goods and accessories, breaks down her debut ‘Calla’ collection for Wallpaper*
By Jack Moss Published
-
First look: Western Mongolia meets Kew Gardens in John Pawson and Oyuna Tserendorj’s cashmere throws
Architectural designer John Pawson and cashmere designer Oyuna Tserendor have collaborated on a cashmere throw collection inspired by Pawson’s 70m Lake Crossing in the Royal Botanical Gardens
By Scarlett Conlon Published
-
How to buy art: the accessible new market
Thanks to a growing pool of art advisers, digital intelligence and collector groups, buyers are better equipped than ever
By Annabel Keenan Published
-
Philippe Parreno and Daniel Buren cast spectral shadows in Paris
Inaugurating Kamel Mennour’s fifth gallery space, designed by Pierre Yovanovitch, the French artists unveil their first joint exhibition, and it raises more questions than answers
By Harriet Lloyd-Smith Last updated
-
Working the room: Daniel Buren sheds light on his new installation
By Charlotte Jansen Last updated
-
Le Voyage à Nantes 2017: micro-homes, petrified palm trees and a steampunk menagerie
By Jessica Klingelfuss Last updated
-
City limits: Bortolami Gallery’s ’Artist/City’ upends the traditional exhibition model
By Pei-Ru Keh Last updated
-
Child’s play: Daniel Buren showcases his new installation at the Museo Espacio
By Michael Slenske Last updated
-
All change: Daniel Buren makes a connection at Tottenham Court Road
By Amy Serafin Last updated
-
Observatory of Light: Daniel Buren at Fondation Louis Vuitton, Paris
By Amy Verner Last updated
-
Daniel Buren reimagines the London Underground’s iconic roundel symbol
By Jonathan Bell Last updated