“An Abstraction” by artist Adam Pendleton bridges the gap between art and audience

at Pace Gallery in New York is a form of homecoming for the artist Adam Pendleton. The exhibition will mark his first solo visit to the gallery in ten years and follows Pendleton’s series of serious solo exhibitions in museums around the world, giving viewers an summary of his recent work and an insight into the mind of this conceptual artist. .

The artist’s 12 paintings and 13 drawings are housed in a large-scale structure consisting of 5 black triangular forms. These sculptural partitions will reorganize the gallery into latest, unexpected spaces and expand the visual language of the works on display. Pendleton is run by “Black Dada”, an ongoing exploration of blackness and its relationship to abstraction.

“It’s a space for me to work from the inside and out,” Pendleton says about the importance of Black Dada. “It’s a visual philosophy, and it’s also a tool or a structural device that I use as an artist. It provides a framework for my work and is a liberating force in that sense.” Combining the artist’s work Black Dada and Untitled (Days), the latest paintings and drawings in the exhibition feature diverse strokes that blur the boundaries between painting, drawing and photography.

To watch at Rateat the 540 West twenty fifth Street gallery in New York City from May 3 to August 16, continues Pendleton’s multi-year journey of making spaces of engagement and pushing the boundaries of what the body – and mind – can do.

ESSENCE: Adam, are you able to talk over with me about the form of emotion you’re feeling about with the ability to exhibit your work again at Pace Gallery for the first time in ten years?

Adam Pendleton: I believe the quickest response can be to say I’m thoughtful and excited.

Why contemplative? Where does this emotion come from apart from excitement?

I believe certainly one of the most fun things for an artist is looking back on the visual timeline of their work, and every exhibition is a possibility to do this. However, when there was no exhibition in a particular place for a very long time, on this case in my hometown, it results in a distinct form of reflection.

I actually have this touch point, taking a look at the exhibition I did in April 2014 at Pace Gallery in New York, in reference to the exhibition I might be showing now, well, in May 2024 at Pace Gallery in New York. A extremely solid decade. It’s a extremely concrete solution to get an image of what was and what’s – and in fact what the relationship is between them, which can be interesting.

In a video discussing your upcoming exhibition at Pace Gallery, you said that painting is about awareness, but you furthermore mght said that a few of your work is intentional, but sometimes your art comes from letting go and being carried away by things which might be beyond your control. How do you realize when it’s the right time to provide control to outside forces reasonably than take control of the creation itself?

Well, the beautiful thing is that I do not know. And that is what’s so interesting about painting, that in its physical act, but additionally in its theoretical dimensions, it actually talks about the elusive. And that is what I like about painting: knowing will not be knowing, and not knowing is knowing. There’s a variety of it, it’s this strange alchemy of motion and intention, this significant relationship between your body and your intention, this significant relationship between who you actually are and what you are able to. Beyond that, there’s a broader space of the medium’s history itself, which you too can interact with and place your work and yourself in that space.

You also talked about the body. Sometimes our bodies allow us to down and sometimes they’ll exceed our expectations. However, I believe creativity has no limits. Do you ever see limitations in your art? When do you push the boundaries of your creativity as an alternative of letting things be as they’re?

Well, I’m all the time attempting to push through the past or move on to the next thing. So in a wierd way I attempt to operate without limits, or at the very least outside known limits if that is smart. I’m driven by a relentless curiosity about what is feasible, without defining what is feasible at any given moment.

A couple of years ago you published a book titled Yes. Can you explain its concept?

Well, I believe the simplest solution to explain it’s that it’s an area where I can work from inside and from inside as an artist. It’s a visible philosophy in addition to a structural tool that I take advantage of as an artist. It provides a framework for my work and is a liberating force in that sense.

You have traveled throughout the world along with your work. What do you discover unique about the New York art scene in comparison with other places in the world?

Well, I believe it’s a very international city, so many artists, including myself, who exhibit in cities around the world often have exhibitions in New York as well. I believe so, and that applies to visual arts, nevertheless it also applies to music and dance. I believe it’s a very unique perspective when in a single city you’ll be able to gather so many individuals practicing specific disciplines: painting, drawing, music, dancing. It’s not all the time like that. I mean, chances are you’ll be in an enormous city, but not everyone goes there sooner or later to do something. And I believe New York continues to be definitely unique in that respect.

You’ve said before that you wish to push the boundaries of what your art could be and what your creativity could be. As a black artist, what kinds of limitations have you ever faced in your profession?

I believe certainly one of the few limitations is viewing any form of distinction as either limiting or defining. This implies that I would like to create an agency that can self-define, discover, communicate and represent itself and its work as I find it useful and needed, not as another person might find it useful or needed.