Doug Argue Catch My Drift
Bill Fontana Liquescent
June 21 to July 132012
Opening: June 21, 6–8pm
Haunch of Venison
550 West 21st Street
New York, NY 10011
Hours: Mon–Fri 10–6pm
T 212 259 0000
Haunch of Venison is pleased to announce Catch My Drift and Liquescent, two solo exhibitions by Doug Argue and Bill Fontana respectively, curated by Lily Alexander and on view from June 21 to July 13, 2012. A reception for the artists will be held on June 21 from 6–8pm. Though presented as two separate exhibitions, the juxtaposition of the artists highlights their shared source of inspiration: “Doug Argue visualizes the mutability of language as vertical torrents, tumultuous currents, or meandering streams in his large-scale, multi-hued abstractions, while Bill Fontana captures the essence of water’s movement in sound sculptures that utilize the audible as a physical force to communicate the constant flows of energy in the liquid environment,” said Lily Alexander.
Minnesota-born artist Doug Argue will present four monumental conceptual paintings in the main gallery. Argue is best known for his large-scale abstract paintings that explore infinite space with a scientific and mathematical foundation. Argue often incorporates text—as he equates letters to atoms—and rearranges them, constructing new meanings to found writing. A highlight of the exhibition is Argue’s Genesis that measures roughly 13 by 19 feet and evokes the cosmos, but with closer inspection reveals distorted text. Argue appropriated letters from the book of Genesis, which he then altered and reassembled onto the painting to form a celestial-like, infinite image. In Hither and Thithering Waters of Night, referencing James Joyce, Argue features deconstructed text from Melville’s Moby Dick and warped Captcha text—the computer test that differentiates humans from Internet bots—as a stand-in for brushstrokes. The paintings evoke visual data streams or flowing water, resulting in a dizzying and ethereal quality.
San Francisco-based artist Bill Fontana is renowned for his pioneering exploration of sound. Making live recordings, Fontana creates works that heighten our awareness of our surroundings and the architecture of space. For this exhibition, Fontana will exhibit four video works that were originally commissioned by Somerset House in London. Each film records visual and aural details of various structures in London. In Tower Bridge Road Gap, Fontana films London’s Tower Bridge and records the sounds of the river Thames resulting in a medley of high and low-pitched noises created by the passing of ships, the lapping water, and the roar of road traffic. The work documents common sounds and architectural features from the river, magnifying them to the point of abstraction, highlighting elements normally missed in everyday life.
Doug Argue (b. 1962) has exhibited at some of the foremost institutions and his works are included in numerous public collections including the Walker Art Center; the Minnesota Museum of American Art; the Minneapolis Institute of Arts; and the Frederic R. Weisman Foundation. In 2009 he was awarded with the Artist of the Year by the London International Creative Competition and in 1997 he was awarded the Rome Prize.
Bill Fontana (b. 1947) has exhibited at various international institutions including the Whitney Museum of American Art; The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art; the Museum Ludwig, Cologne; Tate Modern; and Tate Britain in London. Fontana’s upcoming projects include a public exhibition celebrating the 75th Anniversary of the Golden Gate Bridge at San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park, and a site-specific permanent installation at Chicago’s Millennium Park.
Press contact
PRENTICE ART Communications
T 212 228 4048 / Shannon@PrenticeArt.com / Sara [at] PrenticeArt.com
*Image above:
Top: Doug Argue, Hither and Thithering Waters of Night, 2009–2012. Oil on canvas, 114 x 162 inches. Courtesy of the Artist and Haunch of Venison, New York.
Bottom: Bill Fontana, Tower Bridge Road Gap, 2009. High definition sounds 13:20. Edition 1/3 + 2APs. Courtesy of the Artist and Haunch of Venison, New York.