LAWRENCE WEINER at Gagosian Gallery, Rome, 21 Nov - 17 Jan

Exhibition Description:

Gagosian Gallery will be presenting Lawrence Weiner's first solo exhibition in Rome in more than ten years and his first with the gallery. He was a pioneering Conceptual artist during the 1960s, and was among the first to dematerialize the object of art into pure language. His elegant yet utilitarian typefaces and striking monochromes, either stenciled, painted, printed, or mounted in relief, compose sculptural propositions as texts that describe process, material, and relations.

Weiner translates his studio work into words, to communicates the content of each work without specifying any of its physical qualities, thus rendering the work objective, accessible, and useful for a diverse audience. Dedicated to the circulation of ideas and meaning, Weiner uses a single statement that can be endlessly adapted into a myriad of forms, from paint to stone to song lyrics. He describes art as 'something human beings make to present to others to understand their place in the world.'

For this exhibition, Weiner has developed a site-specific installation for the oval gallery comprising two large-scale wall-drawings, a suite of seven drawings on paper, and one mixed-media work on paper. He makes reference to Rome's past and present, from the legend of the seven hills to the enduring popular tradition of throwing a coin into the Fontana di Trevi to make a wish.

While Weiner works primarily in English, he also includes Latin phrases that have become part of common vernacular, like the title of the show, which literally translates as "something for something", indicating a more or less equivalent exchange of goods or services for value.

Full Contact Details:

GAGOSIAN GALLERY
VIA FRANCESCO CRISPI 16 T. +39.06.420.86498
00187 ROME ITALY F. +39.06.4201.4765
HOURS: Tuesday – Saturday: 10:30am–7:00pm and by appointment