Stephen Friedman Gallery Reopens
Stephen Friedman Gallery reopens to the public on Monday 15 June.
The gallery launches an exhibition by Andreas Eriksson which brings together a new series of large-scale handwoven tapestries and a majestic oil and acrylic painting. This new body of tapestries expands the artist’s formal language and demonstrates the connections between these two distinct practices.
In light of the events of the past month and the Black Lives Matter movement, Stephen Friedman Gallery has been amplifying its artists voices in solidarity with the cause. To mark the reopening of the gallery, a monumental work by acclaimed British-Nigerian artist Yinka Shonibare CBE will be presented in the UK for the first time. The sculpture will be installed in the gallery’s Viewing Room, making ‘Justice for All’ visible from the street and giving the work the public focus it deserves. Lights will remain on during the night to make the sculpture available to the public 24/7.
Shonibare explains, “I wanted to think about Justice, especially in the light of George Floyd’s tragic death. This particular work was exhibited at Singapore’s Old Parliament House earlier this year. Justice has to be equally applied. People of African origin do not seem to have fair justice. Those injustices have always been there and things have to change. Some of these issues I've explored in my work have been going on for thirty years and I’m sad to think that those things are still going on."
On Wednesday 1 July, the gallery presents Jonathan Baldock’s 'Facecrime (suspect)', a new installation comprising precariously stacked ceramic columns. Baldock’s prevalent use of Yves Klein blue makes the work shimmer and glow with a spiritual, alchemical quality.
