"the americans. new art. - Opens Today"
2001-10-25 until 2001-12-23
Barbican Art Gallery
London, , UK United Kingdom

the americans. new art. is the largest exhibition of contemporary American art to have been seen in London for a generation. The last five years has been a period of explosive activity in the American art world, and this show contains thirty of the most important artists to have emerged in this time. The exhibition includes celebrated figures such as Tom Friedman, Sarah Sze and Martin Kersels, whose work has been seen around the world. But it also includes many young artists who are just starting to establish their international reputations, such as Ricci Albenda, Rachel Feinstein and Erik Parker.

Recent years have seen a renewed interest in the hand-made among American artists, and the show contains a large proportion of painting and sculpture. However, these supposedly traditional media are often approached in surprising ways – one instance is Rob Pruitt, whose recent works include paintings of pandas made from glitter. Whether in old or new media, all of the works in the exhibition emphasise the personal and the obsessive – the show includes a sculpture by Keith Edmier, for instance, which shows the artist’s mother carrying Edmier in her womb. This new wave of artists is turning away from irony and shock and making art that is both playful and complex.

the americans. new art. has been organised by Barbican Art. The exhibition is accompanied by a book with texts by Bruce Hainley, Katy Siegel, Bennett Simpson, John Slyce and the exhibition’s curator, Mark Sladen (paperback, full colour, 304pp, published by Booth-Clibborn Editions / Barbican Art, price £30).

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