Exhibition on view May 12–June 4 and August 29–September 30, 2012,
at School’s 32 Edgewood Avenue Gallery; free and open to the public
The Yale School of Art presents an exhibition of new work by Brazilian conceptualist and sculptor Jac Leirner, one of the leading figures in the generation of Latin American artists that emerged in the 1990s. Titled Hardware Seda – Hardware Silk, the exhibition comprises an ensemble of hanging, freestanding, and wall-mounted sculptures, as well as a group of polychrome wooden floor-pieces and a series of watercolors related to them. As is the artist’s custom, the sculptures were created out of commonplace objects that she collected. Encompassing turnbuckles, wire, chains, clamps, product labels, spirit levels, and cigarette papers, among other items, these were amassed, and the work created, while Ms. Leirner was in residence this spring at the Yale School of Art.
Jac Leirner (born 1961) emerged in the early 1990s at the forefront of a new generation of artists who looked to the art of the 1960s and 1970s as a point of departure. Leirner creates her work out of discarded or scavenged mass-produced objects and materials, ranging from obsolete airline ashtrays to devalued currency; used stationery, envelopes, and mailers, to used shopping bags from museum stores and high-end airport boutiques; professional business cards; and all of the left-over components from multiple empty cigarette packs. Out of these, the artist creates meticulously constructed works that are both aesthetically and conceptually rigorous, and that frequently address issues of contemporary life, including consumption, the exchange of information, and commerce, among others.
Ms. Leirner lives and works in São Paulo. Her work has been the subject of solo exhibitions and included in group shows across the world. It is represented in numerous public collections, including The Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum and The Museum of Modern Art, New York City; the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Washington, DC; the Walker Art Center, Minneapolis; Art Gallery of Ontario; Tate, London; and the Museum van Hedendagse Kunst, Ghent, among others.
Established in 2009, the Yale School of Art’s 32 Edgewood Avenue Gallery presents a year-round program of special exhibitions that bring examples of vital contemporary art from around the world to New Haven. Exhibitions have included a survey of contemporary work by artists from India and the Indian Diaspora, a multimedia installation by award-winning Romanian artist Mircea Nicolae, and a synoptic overview of work by Malcolm Morley that spanned the eminent artist’s long career. Contributing to the University’s rich visual-arts offerings, these exhibitions are free and open to the public.
The School’s gallery at 1156 Chapel Street focuses on work by students, including both those in the School of Art and Yale undergraduates, as well as loan exhibitions curated by students and faculty.
For information, visit www.art.yale.edu