Boule to Braid: curated by Richard Wentworth

Press Release

Lisson Gallery has invited Richard Wentworth to mount this year's summer show. Wentworth's choice of a euphonious title 'Boule to Braid' already suggests some of the over (and under) laps which were such a feature for his Hayward organised touring show 'Thinking Aloud', at the end of the last century.

In Richard Wentworth's 'Thinking Aloud' artists including Karin Ruggaber, Keith Coventry, Patrick Caulfield, and Simon Starling's pirated do-it-yourself Eames chairs, Tom Sachs and Bruce Nauman came together with a Frank Gehry model, snowed under by an enormous assortment of material harvested from both private and museum sources. The show converged the territories that artists like to discuss: war, economics, technology, history, geography etc. People who saw this exhibition speak of their experience with a giddy reverence.

In 'Boule to Braid', Wentworth will employ similar strategies, this time paying particular attention to Nicholas Logsdail's personal collection and historic works from artists beyond the Lisson's own forty year narrative.
Wentworth has remarked "as exhibitionism in private galleries, foundations and museums (both personal and public) have coalesced, I detect a pattern of exhibition making which I associate with the philately of my childhood. I hope to chastise this tendency in the way that 'Boule to Braid' comes together".

Richard Wentworth is known both as an artist and as a chronicler of daily life. Since the 1970s he has played a leading role in British sculpture, isolating both the formal and sculptural qualities of everyday objects. Wentworth looks closely at the present by espousing the past. Looking back, he says, enables us to understand why and how we move forward. By excavating history and looking closely at the material 'now',
Wentworth often collates and assembles a vivacious archaeology of the world we live in.

Wentworth is exhibiting two new works, 'Legend' and 'Awning' in this year's Venice Biennale, showing in both the Italian Pavilion and the Arsenale as part of Daniel Birnbaum's 'Making Worlds', 7 June – 22 November 2009.

He is currently exhibiting in the Montreal Biennale and his work, 'A Confiscation of String', is one of the new works installed and developing over 365 days at the reopened Whitechapel Art Gallery. In 2002 Wentworth worked with Artangel at King's Cross, London to make 'An Area of Outstanding Unnatural Beauty'. In 2005, Tate Liverpool presented a comprehensive exhibition including works such as 'False Ceiling', 1995 and 'Mirror Mirror', 2003. His faux botanical guide, using enamel signs, at this years Folkestone Triennial was one of the star contributions of the show. Wentworth lives and works in London.

Lecture

In conjunction with the exhibition, Richard will be talking about his work and his mounting of 'Boule to Braid' at the Geological Society Lecture Room, Royal Academy, London on Wednesday 24th June, 6.30 - 7.30pm.
Download Press Release as PDF (51 K)

More about these artists

Art & Language
Daniel Buren
James Casebere
Tony Cragg
Richard Deacon
Ryan Gander
Dan Graham
John Latham
Lee Ufan
Sol LeWitt
Robert Mangold
Haroon Mirza
Jonathan Monk
Julian Opie
Tony Oursler
Giulio Paolini
Richard Wentworth

Exhibition Images

Carl Andre 51 Copper-Carbon Vein, 2006 17 copper and 34 carbon cubes 10 x 30 x 170 cm installed (each 10 x 10 x 10 cm)


David Batchelor I Love King's Cross and King's Cross Loves Me, 2009 Found objects, acrylic sheet and household paint 66 x 30.5 x 22 cm each Overall dims variable


Vanessa Billy Wait, Sit, Converse, 2009 Natural stone, water, plastic and concrete Each element approx. 12 x 12 x 12 cm


Terrence Bond Mum in Kitchen, 1981 Black and white photographs on museum board 44.5 x 36.8 cm


Alice Channer Other-Directed, 2009 Cigarette ash, pencil and gouache in and on paper 84 x 60 cm each


Tony Cragg ME.R. II, 1982 Bottles and bricks 184 x 212 cm


John Frankland Cloud, 2009 White acrylic and projected light 120 x 180 x 70


Ryan Gander Componenture - Space Filler (Proposal for a motorway service station entrance), 1998 Plywood, timber, paint and Yucca plants Various


Hans Haacke Condensation Cube, 1963-65 Plexiglass and water 30 x 30 x 30 cm


Donald Judd Untitled, 1968 Light cadmium red oil on wood 52.7 x 42.5 x 5 cm


Helen Marten George Nelson, 2009 Powder coated aluminium, butterfly nuts, plastic caps, tropical wood, vogue pattern pvc suit jacket 20 panels each 36 x 20 cm Overall dimensions: approx. 130 x 200 x 100 cm


Paul McCarthy Hot Dog, 1974 1996 Cibachrome print mounted on board 78.1 x 103.5 cm


John McCracken IV, 1985 Polyester resin on wood 279.5 x 51 x 12.6 cm ed.unique


Tony Oursler Johnny Apple Treats, 1990 Acrylic ,wood, diethylene glycol 81 x 53.3 x 21.6 cm


Tom Sachs Supreme Allied Commander Moon Rock Box, 2008-2009 Suitcase, DVD player 61 x 71.1 x 22.9 cm ed.1/3+1 ap


Lee Ufan Relatum - Lover, 1986 Two iron plates and two natural stones Iron plates: 140 x 115 x 3cm Stones: 40 x 40 x 40cm


Franz West Curtain, 1994 Fabric 140 x 250 cm


Sharon Ya'ari Page 4, 1999 Framed colour photograph 121 x 152 cm ed.3+1 ap