Mark Bradford, the Los Angeles-based artist known for his abstract paintings made from layers of paper and other materials, has taken over Hauser & Wirth in Manhattan with a new exhibition that explores his personal and artistic identity.
The show, titled “Mark Bradford: Masses Movements”, features 10 large-scale paintings and a video installation that reflect Bradford’s interest in beauty, ballroom culture, and social justice. The works are inspired by his experiences as a black gay man who grew up in South Central LA and worked at his mother’s beauty salon before becoming an internationally acclaimed artist.
One of the highlights of the show is a painting called “Dancing in the Street”, which depicts a crowd of people in colorful outfits against a dark background. The painting is based on a photograph of a ballroom competition that Bradford attended in New York in the 1980s, when he was part of the underground scene that celebrated queer expression and creativity. Bradford said he wanted to capture the energy and joy of that moment, as well as the sense of community and resistance that it represented.
Another painting, “A Five Thousand Year Old Laugh”, shows a grid-like pattern of white lines on a black surface, creating an optical illusion of depth and movement. The title refers to a quote by James Baldwin, who said that laughter is a way of coping with pain and oppression. Bradford said he was inspired by Baldwin’s writings and his own experience of using humor as a survival strategy.
The video installation, “The Press of Democracy”, consists of two screens that show footage of protests, riots, and speeches from different historical periods and locations, such as the civil rights movement, the Stonewall uprising, and the recent Black Lives Matter demonstrations. The video is accompanied by a soundtrack of gospel music, speeches, and chants, creating a collage of sounds and images that evoke the struggle for freedom and equality.
John Vincler, an art critic for The New York Times, praised Bradford’s show as “a pose of quiet self-reflection” that reveals his “contemplative mood”. Vincler wrote that Bradford’s paintings “are not just about what they depict but how they are made”, noting his use of collage, scraping, and sanding techniques that create textured and complex surfaces.
The exhibition will be on view at Hauser & Wirth until January 22, 2022. It is part of a series of solo shows by Bradford that are taking place at various venues around the world, including the Hirshhorn Museum in Washington DC, the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth in Texas, and the Long Museum in Shanghai.
