Lines of Thought
Helene Appel, Hemali Bhuta, James Bishop, Raoul De Keyser, Adrian Esparza, Özlem Günyol & Mustafa Kunt, Sol LeWitt, Richard Long, Jorge Macchi, Nasreen Mohamedi, Fred Sandback, Conrad Shawcross, Anne Truitt, and Richard Tuttle
29 February–13 May 2012
14 Wharf Road
London N1 7RW
Hours:
Monday by prior arrangement
Tuesday–Saturday, 10am–6pm
Sunday, 12–5pm
Admission is free.
This exhibition explores the work, selected from the 1960s to today, of fifteen contemporary artists who either use line in creative and challenging ways or in whose finished work line has become a prominent element.
The simple act of extending a point, predominantly by drawing with pen or pencil on paper, has paradoxically made line one of the most powerful forms of artistic expression in the history of mankind, yet over time it has taken on different meanings and uses relative to the era of its creation. Continuous or broken, curved or straight, free-floating or geometric, line can define boundaries, divide surfaces, create light and shade, and be used for communication.
Once considered to be pure and linear, as seen for instance in the works of Minimalist artists Fred Sandback and Anne Truitt in this exhibition, line has in recent years acquired a more complex magnitude and extravagant nature. Fine exemplars of this are the elaborate installations by the younger artists, Hemali Bhuta, Adrian Esparza, and Conrad Shawcross.
The Lines of Thought exhibition brings together a number of disparate works that prompt thoughts about how the simplicity of line is the core element of so many and often unpredictable forms of artistic expression.
This exhibition is accompanied by a full-colour publication.
The exhibition is kindly supported by Mr Kishore & Mrs Manju Lulla; Fayeeza & Arif Naqvi; ZVM Rangoonwala Foundation; Berna-Tolga Tuglular and those who wish to remain anonymous.
Related events:
Friday 2 March, 7 pm
Artist talk: Helene Appel in conversation with Oliver Basciano
Oliver Basciano, Associate Editor of Art Review, joins Berlin-based artist Helene Appel whose work forms part of Parasol unit’s group exhibition Lines of Thought. Appel’s work involves a meticulous investigation of the stuff of the everyday, isolated upon raw canvas surfaces to highlight abstract forms and relative materiality. She has exhibited internationally with recent exhibitions at Mönchehaus Museum Goslar, Germany; Outpost, Norwich, UK, Wallspace, New York; Tate Britain, London and The Approach, London where she is represented.
Limited places, booking recommended.
Thursday 19 April, 7 pm
Drawing Degree Zero: Thinking the Line from the Sixties to the Present
Art historian Dr. Anna Lovatt (University of Nottingham) will discuss her research on drawing in the context of post-Minimal and Conceptual art in relation to themes and works in the exhibition Lines of Thought. Lovatt’s research focuses on American and European art since 1945, with an emphasis on art of the 1960s and its legacies. She has published scholarly articles and catalogue essays on the artists Sol LeWitt, Dorothea Rockburne, Anne Truitt, and Ruth Vollmer and is a regular contributor to Artforum International.
Limited places, booking recommended.
Tuesday 1 May and Thursday 3 May (repeat screening) 7pm
Parasol unit | FILM + VIDEO
Out of line: artist’s film and video
In conjunction with the current exhibition Lines of Thought, Parasol unit presents moving image works exploring ‘line’ from the 1970′s to the present day. Part one investigates geographical and political borders and boundaries, works include Francis Alÿs‘ Painting/Retoque, 2008; Mona Hatoum‘s Measures of Distance, 1988; On the stage, 2010 by Özlem Günyol & Mustafa Kunt and John Smith‘s Flag Mountain, 2010. Continuing along this theme, Part two introduces works shot on 16mm where line is used to explore space, time and the materiality of film. Works include Mirza and Butler‘s, The Space Between, 2005; Len Lye‘s, Free Radicals, 1979 and Margaret Tait‘s, Colour Poems, 1974, the latter two works employ the experimental technique of scratched celluloid to further heighten the visibility of the medium.
Booking recommended.
About Parasol unit:
Founded in December 2004, Parasol unit foundation for contemporary art is a registered educational charity in England and Wales and a not-for-profit institution that operates purely for the public benefit. Every year the foundation organises four thought-provoking exhibitions of works in various media by contemporary artists, and also sets up a variety of other artistic projects. Each exhibition is accompanied by a publication and related educational events. The foundation does not bear the founder’s name, and its exhibitions are not derived from the founder’s collection. Admission to exhibitions is free of charge.
Parasol unit operates like publicly funded institutions in London. Currently about 60% of the funding is provided by the founder and 40% through Gift Aid, charitable organisations, private donations and the sale of merchandise. The exhibition space has been put at the disposal of the foundation free of charge by the founder. Thanks to this new model between private funding and public support one of London’s most vibrant contemporary art spaces has come to exist.
*Image above:
Copyright the artist and Project 88.
