PRESS RELEASE

ZhangPRESS RELEASE Huan SpringRobert IrwinPoppy Fields

6 Burlington Gardens, London, W1S 3ET 256 Burlington April – 31 Gardens, May 2014 London, W1S 3ET 21 June - 24 August 2013 Opening: Thursday 24 April 2014, 6.30 – 8.30 p.m. Pace London is pleased to present an exhibition of new work by the American artist Robert Irwin at 6 Burlington Gardens from 21 June to 17 August 2013. This is the first exhibition by the artist at Pace London.

In the early 1960s, while much of America and Eu- rope was fascinated with the new wave of Pop Art- ists, Southern California quietly gave rise to a very different aesthetic revolution known as the Light and Space movement. Spearheading this movement, Robert Irwin began to take ideas from philosoph- ical inquiries into the nature of human experience and radical advances in perceptual psychology and combine them with the immersive abstraction that had been pioneered by artists such as Jackson Pollock, Mark Rothko, and Barnett Newman. The result was an original approach to art that replaced the object with a phenomenon. Finding traditional painting and sculpture too restrictive and self-con- tained, Irwin was the first to make objects and installations that were purely designed to manipulate the light in front of or around the viewer.

The exhibition features two new site-specific installations displayed on the gallery’s ground and first floors. Who’s Afraid of Red, Yellow & Blue³ III, occupies the entire space of the ground floor of the gal- lery and features three aluminium black and coloured panels suspended from the ceiling that mirror three identical panels hovering over the floor, suspending the viewer in a real time-space experience. Pace London is proud to present Spring Poppy Fields, an exhibition of new works by the - This installation is a reiteration of the ideas explored by Who’s Afraid of Red, Yellow and Blue? present- ist Zhang Huan from 25 April to 31 May 2014 at 6 Burlington Gardens. Zhang Huan is one of the most ed at Primaries and Secondaries, a major retrospective exhibition at the Museum of Contemporary Art, vital, influential and provocative contemporary artists working today. Having explored the full spectrum San Diego (2007–2008). expands upon a dialogue with perception that has pervaded Irwin’s practice of media, from performance to photography, installation, sculpture and painting, Zhang Huan’s Spring for nearly half a century and continues references to the mid-century abstraction of the painted can- Poppy Fields oil paintings is the subject of his first exhibition at Pace London. vases of Josef Albers and Barnet Newman. The effort to focus these investigations from the two-di- mensional canvas into our three-dimensional space is evident in this work and ultimately presents Spring Poppy Fields features fourteen vividly coloured, oil on linen paintings that have occupied the 4-dimensional space-time as the viewer enters the installation and experiences it through time. artist’s practice between 2011 and 2014. Alluding to Buddhist masks and iconography, the series is inspiredPiccadilly, by installed Zhang Huan’s on the extensive first floor travelof the to gallery, Tibet, Nepal,experiments Bhutan with and the India. perceptual qualities of light, playing with rhythm, texture, densities, temperature, and chromatic relationships. The piece is made Employingof forty-seven an almostgreen andpointillist white technique, fluorescent Zhang tubes Huan’smounted application in vertical of groupings the thick pigmenton the wall performs and is anan opticalobvious illusion. reference From to aLondon’s distance, illuminated the canvas road metamorphosises junction at Piccadilly into a field Circus. of psychedelic Different to colours;some of thehis pink,other teal,works lilac that and use cornflower fluorescent blue lights palette and featureappears changes to pulsate of colourwith energy. and rhythm, Upon thecloser light inspection, source of thethese colours sculptures separate will keepand the the individualsame state faces for the of durationthe skulls of emerge the exhibition. from their abstraction. Seemingly uncontrolled and haphazard, the placement of the skulls on the canvas is misleading. As usual in Irwin’s oeuvre, the works respond to the specific circumstances and conditions of each

6 Burlington Gardens London W1S 3ET +44 (0)20 3206 7600 pacegallery.com Zhang Huan’s recurring use of skulls stems from the artist’s early exploration of performance inspired by the body and human form. Drawing inspiration from the hallucinatory effects of the poppy’s opiate properties, the use of the skull motif reflects the Tibetan beliefs of endless deaths. In her essay, The Art of Impermanence: Zhang Huan and Tibetan Skulls, Kathryn H. Selig Brown discusses the Tibetan BuddhistPRESS RELEASE beliefs, from which Zhang Huan draws, maintaining that skulls are reflective of the Buddhist cycle of birth, death, rebirth and journey to nirvana. Robert Irwin Becoming a lay Buddhist* near to nine years ago, Zhang Huan has since frequently adopted Buddhist icons6 Burlington and death Gardens, rituals in London, his work. W1S In accordance 3ET to Tibetan Buddhist philosophy, greed, anger, igno- 21 June - 24 August 2013 rance, pride and lust are all destructive emotions that will thwart one’s prospects at attaining nirvana. The skull plays an integral role in the destruction of the ego, preventing the temptation of worldly plea- sures; in the words of Kathryn H. Selig Brown, “thePace enemy London is the isego pleased and the to skull,present a tool an toexhibition smash it of.” new work by the American artist Robert Irwin at 6 Despite Zhang Huan’s heavy reliance upon TibetanBurlington Buddhism, Gardens his choice from 21 of June palette to 17 is August non-Tibetan 2013. and paradoxical in its symbolism. The various colours,This is the representative first exhibition of by “garish the artist consumerism” at Pace London. in

these paintings enhance the sinister and dark humoured qualities of the skull. The abrasive tones of In the early 1960s, while much of America and Eu- the maniacal faces taunt at the darker effects of opium, reminiscent of Lewis Carroll’s Cheshire Cat’s rope was fascinated with the new wave of Pop Art- opium-infused inane smile. ists, Southern California quietly gave rise to a very different aesthetic revolution known as the Light and In addition, the Spring Poppy Fields paintings will feature ribs overlaying the original skulls. The ribs Space movement. Spearheading this movement, subtly blend into the canvas as a visual accompaniment to the composition and reference themes of Robert Irwin began to take ideas from philosoph- “injuries, accidents, war and violence and disasters” according to Zhang Huan. ical inquiries into the nature of human experience and radical advances in perceptual psychology An exhibition catalogue is forthcoming with an essay by the curator and writer Elena Geuna. and combine them with the immersive abstraction * “Kulapati” or “lay Buddhist” are monks who live at home whilethat obeying had beenthe doctrines pioneered of the Buddhistby artists religion, such asas opposed Jackson to monksPollock, who Mark leave Rothko,their families and and Barnett serve their Newman. religious beliefsThe result all lifelong was and an liveoriginal in temples. approach to art that replaced the object with a phenomenon. Finding traditional painting and sculpture too restrictive and self-con- NOTES TO EDITORS tained, Irwin was the first to make objects and installations that were purely designed to manipulate the light in front of or around the viewer. Zhang Huan (b. 1965, ) is one of the most vital, influential, and provocative contemporary artists workingThe exhibition today. featuresThe layers two of new ideas site-specific the artist exploredinstallations in hisdisplayed early performance on the gallery’s art, conceivedground and of first as existentialfloors. Who’s explorations Afraid of Red, and Yellowsocial &commentaries, Blue³ III, occupies have thecarried entire through space ofto the groundmore traditional floor of the studio gal- practicelery and featureshe embraced three uponaluminium returning black to and China, coloured after havingpanels livedsuspended and worked from the in Newceiling York that City mirror for eightthree years.identical panels hovering over the floor, suspending the viewer in a real time-space experience.

ZhangThis installation Huan attended is a reiteration of University, the ideas exploredKaifeng (1984-88)by Who’s Afraidand received of Red, Yellowan MA and from Blue? the presentCentral- Academyed at Primaries of Fine and Arts Secondaries in in, a1993. major Zhang retrospective Huan gained exhibition international at the Museum recognition of Contemporary for performance Art, piecesSan Diego such (2007–2008). as 12 Square expands Meters upon(1994) a dialogueand To Add with One perception Meter to that an hasAnonymous pervaded Mountain Irwin’s practice (1995) thatfor nearly he developed half a century while andliving continues in the artistic references community to the known mid-century as the abstraction“Beijing East of Village.” the painted In 1998, can- thevases artist of wasJosef included Albers andin Inside Barnet Out: Newman. New Chinese The effort Art, organizedto focus these by Asia investigations Society and from P.S.1 the Contem two-di-- porarymensional Art Center.canvas Duringinto our this three-dimensional exhibition he relocated space tois Newevident York in City, this andwork over and the ultimately course ofpresents the fol- lowing4-dimensional eight years, space-time created as 13 the performances viewer enters and the exhibited installation in five and solo experiences shows and it throughmore than time. 60 group exhibitions throughout the United States. The artist moved to in 2006, where he opened the ZhangPiccadilly, Huan installed Studio onand the established first floor ofa Foundation.the gallery, experiments with the perceptual qualities of light, playing with rhythm, texture, densities, temperature, and chromatic relationships. The piece is made Mostof forty-seven recently greenZhang and Huan white has fluorescent been the subject tubes mounted of major insolo vertical exhibitions groupings worldwide on the wallincluding and is this an year’sobvious Zhang reference Huan: to Soul London’s and Matter illuminated, Forte road di Belvedere junction atand Piccadilly Palazzo Circus. Vecchio, Different Florence, to someJuly 8–Oc of his- toberother 13,works 2013 that and use Looking fluorescent East, lights Facing and West: feature The changes World of ofZhang colour Huan and, Frederikrhythm, theMeijer light Gardens source of& Sculpturethese sculptures Park, Grand will keep Rapids, the same Michigan, state Mayfor the 24–August duration of25, the 2013. exhibition.

As usual in Irwin’s oeuvre, the works respond to the specific circumstances and conditions of each

6 Burlington Gardens London W1S 3ET +44 (0)20 3206 7600 pacegallery.com Zhang Huan has also completed numerous public commissions worldwide. In 2010, Zhang Huan installed Three Heads, Six Arms, a 15-ton, two-story tall sculpture, considered the artist’s largest to date, in the plaza in front of City Hall in San Francisco. Zhang Huan directed and designed the set for George Frideric Händel’s Semele, Théâtre Royal de la Monnaie de Munt, Brussels in 2009, which traveledPRESS RELEASE to the Poly Theatre, Beijing in October 2010. Notable exhibitions and installations include: Zhang Huan: Altered States (2007-08) at the Asia Society, New York; Zhang Huan: Three-Legged Bud- dhaRobert, Royal IrwinAcademy of Arts, Annenberg Courtyard, London (2007-8); Zhang Huan: Dawn of Time at Shanghai Art Museum (2010); and Zhang Huan: Hope Tunnel, Ullens Center for Contemporary Art, Beijing6 Burlington (2010), Gardens, among others. London, In 2009,W1S 3ETthe artist was the subject of a comprehensive monograph pub- 21 June - 24 August 2013 lished by as part of their “Contemporary Artists” series. Yilmaz Dziewior, director of the Kunstverein in Hamburg, and Robert Storr, Dean of the Yale School of Art, contributed essays, and an in-depth interview with the artist was conducted byPace curator London and criticis pleased RoseLee to present Goldberg. an exhibition of new work by the American artist Robert Irwin at 6 Zhang Huan’s work is part of nearly 50 public collectionsBurlington worldwide, Gardens from including 21 June Center to 17 August of Contem 2013.- porary Art, Malaga, Spain; Centre national d’art etThis de isculture the first Georges exhibition Pompidou, by the artist Paris; at Pace Denver London. Art

Museum; The Hara Museum of Contemporary Art, Tokyo; The Israel Museum, Jerusalem; The Metro- In the early 1960s, while much of America and Eu- politan Museum of Art, New York; Museum of Contemporary Art, Barcelona; Museum of Contemporary rope was fascinated with the new wave of Pop Art- Art, Los Angeles; Museum of Contemporary Art, San Diego; Museum of Fine Arts, Boston; The Muse- ists, Southern California quietly gave rise to a very um of Modern Art, New York; National Gallery of Australia; Philadelphia Museum of Art; S.M.A.K., The different aesthetic revolution known as the Light and Municipal Museum of Contemporary Art Gent, Belgium; Saatchi Collection, London; San Francisco Space movement. Spearheading this movement, Museum of Modern Art; Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York; Storm King Art Center, New Robert Irwin began to take ideas from philosoph- York; and Yale University Art Gallery, Connecticut, among others. ical inquiries into the nature of human experience and radical advances in perceptual psychology Zhang Huan lives and works in Shanghai, China. and combine them with the immersive abstraction that had been pioneered by artists such as Jackson PacePollock, Mark Rothko, and Barnett Newman. The result was an original approach to art that replaced the object with a phenomenon. Finding traditional painting and sculpture too restrictive and self-con- Pacetained, is Irwin a leading was the contemporary first to make objectsart gallery and representinginstallations that many were of purelythe most designed significant to manipulate international the artistslight in andfront estates of or around of the the20th viewer. and 21st centuries. Founded by Arne Glimcher in Boston in 1960 and led by Marc Glimcher, Pace has been a constant, vital force in the art world and has introduced many renownedThe exhibition artists’ features work to two the new public site-specific for the first installations time. Pace hasdisplayed mounted on morethe gallery’s than 700 ground exhibitions, and first in- cludingfloors. Who’s scholarly Afraid exhibitions of Red, Yellow that have & Blue³ subsequently III, occupies travelled the entire to museums, space of the and ground published floor nearlyof the gal400- exhibitionlery and features catalogues. three Today aluminium Pace black has seven and coloured locations panels worldwide: suspended four in fromNew theYork; ceiling two inthat London; mirror andthree one identical in Beijing. panels Pace hovering London over inaugurated the floor, suspendingits flagship gallerythe viewer at 6 inBurlington a real time-space Gardens experience.with the ex- hibition Rothko/Sugimoto: Dark Paintings and Seascapes, 4 October – 17 November 2012. This installation is a reiteration of the ideas explored by Who’s Afraid of Red, Yellow and Blue? present- ed at Primaries and Secondaries, a major retrospective exhibition at the Museum of Contemporary Art, Pace London at 6 Burlington Gardens is open to the public from Tuesday to Saturday, from 10 a.m. to San Diego (2007–2008). expands upon a dialogue with perception that has pervaded Irwin’s practice 6 p.m. www.pacegallery.com/ for nearly half a century and continues references to the mid-century abstraction of the painted can- vases of Josef Albers and Barnet Newman. The effort to focus these investigations from the two-di- Formensional press inquiries,canvas into please our three-dimensional contact: space is evident in this work and ultimately presents 4-dimensional space-time as the viewer enters the installation and experiences it through time. London: Nicolas Smirnoff, [email protected] / +44 203 206 7613 Piccadilly, installed on the first floor of the gallery, experiments with the perceptual qualities of light, Followplaying Pace with onrhythm, Facebook texture, (facebook.com/pacegallery densities, temperature, and), Twitter chromatic (twitter.com/pacegallery relationships. The piece), and isInsta made- gram (http://instagram.com/pacegallery) of forty-seven green and white fluorescent tubes mounted in vertical groupings on the wall and is an obvious reference to London’s illuminated road junction at Piccadilly Circus. Different to some of his other works that use fluorescent lights and feature changes of colour and rhythm, the light source of Image: Zhang Huan, Spring Poppy Fields No 11, 2013 © Zhang Huan studio these sculptures will keep the same state for the duration of the exhibition.

As usual in Irwin’s oeuvre, the works respond to the specific circumstances and conditions of each

6 Burlington Gardens London W1S 3ET +44 (0)20 3206 7600 pacegallery.com