Overview
Stephen Friedman Gallery is pleased to participate in South South’s inaugural event, South South Veza. The selling events feature over 50 galleries from more than 30 countries and 5 continents, united in their dedication to art of the Global South.
Whilst Veza’s live and timed auctions are now closed, the Online Viewing Rooms are viewable between 24 February and 7 March 2021. Click here to explore the OVR.
The gallery’s presentation demonstrates a passionate, long-term interest in art from South America and the African diaspora. On display is a diverse selection of works by Juan Araujo, Tonico Lemos Auad, Melvin Edwards, Manuel Espinosa, Kendell Geers, Federico Herrero, Rivane Neuenschwander, Mira Schendel and Luiz Zerbini.
‘África’ (2020) a dynamic painting by renowned Brazilian artist Luiz Zerbini, draws on visual references from the artist’s surroundings in Rio de Janeiro as well as art history and pop culture. Zerbini’s solo exhibition ‘Fire’ is currently on display at Stephen Friedman Gallery until 1 April 2021. Another artist from Brazil, Rivane Neuenschwander, is known for work that explores language, nature, geography, the passing of time and social interactions. Neuenschwander is represented by ‘Notícia de jornal (prisão) / Tabloid Story (Prison)’ (2017) from an on-going series inspired by traditional Latin American Ex-voto paintings that she began in 2010.
Other highlights include a rare work from the 1960s by Argentine artist Manuel Espinosa; ‘Untitled’ which consists of rows of oval forms superimposed with circles depicted in shades of purple, ochre and blue. In the 1960s and 1970s, Espinosa created series of paintings and drawings by arranging squares and circles in repeating patterns. These variations investigated subtle effects of space, colour and optical sensations of depth and movement. Pioneer of contemporary African-American art, Melvin Edwards is represented by ‘Untitled’ (1974). This work on paper relates to a body of works utilising barbed wire conceived by the artist for his solo exhibition at Whitney Museum of American Art, New York in 1970 – the museum's first show by an African-American sculptor. Rendered in ink and watercolour on paper, these works capture silhouettes of barbed wire and provide an intriguing counterpoint to the sculptural practice for which the artist is most well-known.
Venezuelan artist Juan Araujo explores Latin American architecture, art history and modernism in hyper-realistic paintings based on images sourced from archival materials. ‘Two greens between red and yellow’ (2020) a new oil on canvas, takes its inspiration from Josef Albers’ signature series ‘Homage to the Square’. Throughout the series Albers’ repetitive compositions explore various visual effects, investigating the interaction between colour, contrast and intensity. By emulating the work of Albers in this work, Araujo builds upon the relationship between colour and modernism that exist as encompassing themes within his practice.
Stephen Friedman Gallery is pleased to participate in South South’s inaugural event, South South Veza. The selling events feature over 50 galleries from more than 30 countries and 5 continents, united in their dedication to art of the Global South.
