HENRY KHUDYAKOV – FINAL BRAIN STORM
2015-03-09Henry Khudyakov: Final Brain Storm is the first comprehensive solo exhibition in 25 years of this radical, Russian-American artist who has enjoyed recognition for some time but until now has exhibited relatively rarely. The exhibition title, Final Brain Storm, is drawn from the inscription on the back of one of Khudyakov’s paintings where he routinely documents his ongoing process. Presenting a selection of hypnotic paintings and assemblages he has created over the last 35 years, the exhibition highlights his use of recognizable materials – studs, hangers, chewing gum, Band-Aids, bows, glitter and more – all removed from their usual context and intertwined in a mysterious lingual and sensory network. Taking these familiar objects out of context leaves behind a sense of absence and creates a space for thought. To this very day Khudyakov continues to go back to earlier works, adding, expanding, and reinterpreting – further stretching the boundaries of what is commonly acknowledged as art.
The roots of Khudyakov’s art lie in literature. In the 1960s and 70s, a large part of the artist’s activity revolved around writing poetry. At that time, he began experimenting along the lines of the Concrete Poetry movement, as “It occurred to him that traditional forms – these orderly, blocky configurations – did not respond to the sharp, chaotic peaks of emotion that he was trying to convey in his poems,” as one literary historian wrote.
Exhibition runs through to May 3rd, 2015
Black & White Gallery / Project Space
56 Bogart Street
Brooklyn
New York
NY 11206
www.blackandwhiteartgallery.com
