From geometric abstraction arises the real
About a selection of American artists established by Artpress because they explode the codes within the rule.
Geo or more than geo? Geometric or more than geometric? The "neo-geo" art movement, whose name is derived from the abbreviation for Neo-Geometric, also known as neo-minimalism, emerged in the 1980s, when artists began to advocate the use of domestic objects as sculptural materials. The neo-geo movement thus uses geometric objects and forms to create abstract artworks as metaphors for society. The central figure of this art movement is the American painter Peter Halley, born in 1953 in New York. The contemporary art magazine Artpress devotes an article to him in its May issue to bridge the gap between the neo-geo movement and the artists, all of them American, whom it also brings together in its dossier entitled "More than geo".
There is, however, a major difference between Peter Halley and the artists gathered in this dossier, namely Blair Thurman, Lisa Beck, Sarah Braman, John Phillip Abbott, Carl D'Alvia and Beverly Fishman. "The same rejection of pure formalism persists (proof of its prevalence?), but whereas postmodern quotations and diversions dominated in the neo-geo, even to the point of parody, in the logic of "derealization" defined by Jean Baudrillard, what strikes us today is, on the contrary, an emergence of the real at the heart of abstraction, if one can call it the most abstract," we read in Artpress. "A reality that blends autobiographical elements and popular or vernacular culture with pictorial references, drawing equally on music and cinema. So, a mix of "op" and "pop"? No, far from recycling and nostalgia, an explosion of codes within the rule.
And to show us in pictures Carl D'Alvia's stunning bronze Monster (2022), John Phillip Abott's acrylic on canvas and wood Silver, Black Cosmos (2014), Sarah Braman's strangely layered steel beds with hand-dyed sheets, In Bed (how do we sleep when the planet is melting? ) (2016), Blair Thurman's hypnotic oil on canvas Kumamoto Dragon (2014), a view from the installation view exhibition at the Diane Rosenstein Art Gallery in Los Angeles, featuring three artworks for sale by Lisa Beck: Triangulation (dark globe) (2021), Night and Day II (face 1) (2020) and Elements 10 (2017). Also on view on this double-page entry are Beverly Fishman's urethane painting on wood, Untitled (Abortion, ADHD, Chronic Pain, ADHD, Anxiety, Birth Control) (2022), and Peter Halley's acrylic on canvas, Asynchronous Terminal (1989).
"If formal research continues to be the driving force behind their practice, the artists presented in this dossier share the same conviction: that geometry is much more than geometry. That its lexicon should also serve to translate the realities of our time," explains Tristan van der Stegen, who ran his own gallery from 2008 to 2012, representing Carl D'Alvia and John Phillip Abbott, before heading the Xippas Paris art gallery and teaching contemporary art history and market analysis at the Ecole d'art et de culture (EAC) in Paris. As Peter Halley said: "It no longer seems possible to explore form for form's sake (in the geometric field), (...) nor to empty geometric form of its signifying function. He himself is probably, according to Tristan van der Stegen, one of the most famous proponents of the Sartrean direction 'insofar as it asserts a critical position with regard to societal, political or economic issues'. This is indeed one of the two major directions explored over the past forty years, the Parisian gallery owner believes in his article for Artpress.
"The second direction moves away from discursive or theoretical approaches. It brings together artists who draw on their personal memories and cultural environments to create work - with an unusual combination of mediums and aesthetic influences," Tristan van der Stegen continues. Citing the example of Blair Thurman who "explores his childhood fascinations and draws ideas from the intersection of popular culture and fantasy. What emerges is a large repertoire of archetypal forms, the most emblematic being his paintings of car racing circuits, which began in the early 1990s. But also John Phillip Abbott, whose abstraction, even if based on words, is also drawn from popular culture rooted in his memories, where sports and music play an important role.
"Like Thurman, Abbott uses these references as a means to conduct formal research and to open up a field of interpretation," says Tristan van der Stegen. "Another approach belonging to this broad category can be seen in the works of Lisa Beck. More spiritual and transcendent (Agnes Pelton and Charles Burchfield come to mind), Beck uses simple geometry (her most common symbol is the circle), reflective materials and paint to invite the viewer to consider cells and planets on the same plane.
The sculptures of Carl D'Alvia and Sarah Braman are featured in this dossier for several reasons. "Although these two artists explore different aesthetics," admits the art dealer, "their approach to geometric abstraction is rooted in reality. Carl D'Alvia's colourful monoliths, (artworks for sale presented in Paris at the Hussenot art gallery in 2022), dialogue with minimalism (John McCraken, in particular). Yet their curves communicate emotions such as pride, resignation or despair, recalling the beginnings of computer animation. Braman's coloured glass echoes the legacy of minimalist sculptors (Robert Irwin or Larry Bell), but she combines it with other vernacular or mundane elements such as found chairs, pieces of scrap metal or tree trunks." As art historian and critic Andrea Alvarez writes later in the pages about Sarah Bramen, "her sculptures do indeed invite viewers to reflect on how utilitarian function, design history, aesthetics, and spirituality continually help shape our environment." It's more than just geo!