Paul Edmunds’ debut American solo show, Pitch, is on at RH Gallery in Duane Street, Tribeca, from 13 Sept - 29 October 2011.
Edmunds talks about his exhibition in the video clip below:
‘Tone’ at Michael Stevenson
My new show, ‘Tone’, opens at Michael Stevenson on April 14. Press release below:
Many of us have a long and close relationship with music. From elements which are often non-narrative, mostly repetitive and largely abstract, we extract or assemble meaningful experience, repeatedly. In a series of pencil drawings, a linocut and two sculptures, I use only line and its sculptural analogue, edge, to explore visual correspondents for music and sound, and their constituent parts.
The works vary little in scale and are largely monochromatic, affording an undistracted experience of limited variables. While each piece is carefully planned and executed, the lines and edges also perform on their own: they cross, congregate and avoid each other in unpredictable ways.
Like music, the works reward and thwart expectations, as overlaid lines and stacked edges produce tone, timbre, volume and contrast. Each line, and each cluster of lines, evinces attack and decay, constructs echo and reverberation, harmony and dissonance. Areas of silence contrast with places of tension. The resulting images are evocative and allusive, and invite the viewer to construct their experience of the work.
Sol LeWitt’s wall drawings from the 1960s and 70s which I saw at Dia: Beacon outside New York while on an Ampersand residency in 2010, as well as Walter Oltmann’s drawings of baskets which I saw as a student, have undeniably influenced this work.
Edmunds will exhibit concurrently with Penny Siopis and Lerato Shadi.
Field 2
pencil on paper
900 x 700mm
Pitch 1
pencil on paper
900 x 700mm
Tone 6
pencil on paper
900 x 700mm
Solid
linocut
1100 x 1500mm
MoMA review
A review of ‘Impressions from South Africa… ‘ appeared on ArtDaily
news
Impressions from South Africa, 1965 to Now at MoMA, NYC
A work of mine, The same, but different forms part of ‘Impressions from South Africa, 1965 to Now’ at MoMA. The exhibition is drawn entirely from the museum’s collection and ‘features nearly 100 posters, books, and wall stencils created over the last five decades that demonstrate the exceptional reach, range, and impact of printmaking during and after a period of enormous political upheaval. From the earliest print in the exhibition, made in 1965 (the Museum’s first acquisition of work by a South African artist), to printed posters from the height of the anti-apartheid movement in the 1980s, to projects by a younger generation that reflect new and evolving artistic concerns, these works are striking examples of printed art as a tool for social, political, and personal expression. Featured artists include Bitterkomix, Kudzanai Chiurai, Sandile Goje, William Kentridge, Senzeni Marasela, John Muafangejo, Cameron Platter, Claudette Schreuders, and Sue Williamson.’
The same, but different 2000
linocut
News
New York, New York
I was fortunate enough to be awarded an Ampersand Fellowship, which gives me six weeks in an apartment in TriBeCa New York. My wife, Heather, is coming along for the trip. We both intend to do a little business, a lot of soaking things up and maybe enjoy some spring sunshine on the Sheep Meadow. We leave in two weeks.
The Ampersand Foundation is a non-profit, equal-opportunity Trust promoting the fine arts in South Africa. The Foundation recognises and rewards ‘excellence in the arts by granting awards to Fellows enabling them to spend time in the United States of America in the furtherance of their broader education. On their return we expect this experience to contribute to the community at large and to their development as artists.’ I am very grateful to them for this opportunity.
March 29, 2010
Latest News
My short story entitled ‘Subtropicalia’ is printed in the latest issue of Art South Africa. The story recounts my childhood in Johannesburg in the 70s and 80s and my fascination with skateboarding and surfing. The story was published with the catalogue of my last show where it served as a kind of template through which to view the work.
There is an updated profile of me on Artthrob. You can also read a review of my show by Fabian Saptouw here.
Michael Stevenson recently took some of my work to Art Basel Miami Beach.
Subtropicalia
The catalogue will be out on Monday October 12.
Chris Roper wrote a piece in last week’s Mail&Guardian; in anticipation of the show. Chris is Editor of the Online Mail&Guardian; and the consummate blogger.
Today I do a short interview with Matthew Partridge for a webcast on SA Art Times.
At 11am on Friday October 9 I will be conducting a walkabout for Friends of the South African National Gallery. Everyone’s welcome.
Show open
‘Subtropicalia’ opens tonight. You can view pics, by Mario Todeschini, of the works on Michael Stevenson’s site. We are producing a catalogue and that will probably be available by Saturday. Tonight, small, bound copies of the short story I wrote entitled (i)Subtropicalia will be available.
I extend my thanks to everyone at the gallery - it’s been a pleasure and privilege to work with such a team. Thanks also to Justin Fiske for doing all the complex rigging for me earlier in the week.
Subtropicalia
There is a more thorough press release for my upcoming show over at the Michael Stevenson site. I’ll be posting more pics here as they become available.
ArtThrob Diary
I will be posting a series of blurbs leading up to my show over at the ArtThrob blog. I worked on the site, first as a Contributing Editor and later as a Copy Editor, for close on 11 years.
Current Editor Michael Smith, no doubt hoping to capture me unravelling in the weeks preceding a solo show, asked if I would document the process for readers to see. I hope to disappoint him.
If you’re not familiar with ArtThrob, check it out. It’s without doubt the longest running and arguably the most comprehensive website about contemporary South African art.
Subtropicalia
Subtropicalia began with a short story I wrote recounting my childhood in Johannesburg in the 1970s and 80s and my enduring interest in skateboarding and surfing.
My work, which is characterised by a concern with process, pattern and material, tends to be received with an emphasis on its abstract properties. With Subtropicalia, using my story as a template through which to view the work, I track how memory, sensory phenomena and abiding interests inform my exploration of materials, forms, repetitive processes and design.
Subtropicalia will comprise a series of sculptures and two-dimensional pieces, a large-scale projection of the video work Weft and a limited edition publication of the short story.
The exhibition opens on Thursday 1 October at Michael Stevenson, and I will be showing alongside Meschac Gaba. The Forex show which runs concurrently, features Lynette Yiadom-Boakye, a London-based painter of Ghanaian origin .