Kayne Griffin Corcoran is pleased to present a joint presentation with JTT of Charles Harlan in Booth D16.
In these new works, Harlan is continuing his use of found and industrial materials, in this case a bird bath, copper tiles, marble and a baptistery pool. In the center of the booth will be a fiberglass double entry church baptistery, such as those found in the sanctuary of Baptist churches. The design of these structures is based on their function: a person descends one stair case as a symbol of death and admission, immerses into water as a sign of cleansing, and ascends again on the other side to be born again. In this presentation, Harlan upends the ancient spiritual logic of descension and ascension by placing a stone birdbath on one end of the tub, balancing the baptistery upright. He manipulates objects to create new contexts or test the boundaries of fixed narratives. That uncanny feeling of encountering an object and being uncertain whether it is art or not, or whether it could possibly be art or not, is an experience he attempts to duplicate with his sculpture. The materials themselves are often a source of inspiration—how they look stacked, or packed for shipping. It’s an accidental aesthetic that translates well into sculpture.
He will be included in an upcoming solo exhibition at the Atlanta Contemporary Museum and a forthcoming exhibition at M Woods in Beijing, China.
Charles Harlan was born in Smyrna, GA in 1984. He lives and works in New York. Select solo exhibitions include JTT, New York; Rudolph Janssen, Brussels; Carl Kostyál, London; Karma, New York; Pioneer Works, Brooklyn; Venus Over Manhattan, New York; and Cleopatra’s, Brooklyn. Select group exhibitions include Marlborough Gallery, New York; Atlanta Contemporary Art Center, Atlanta; White Flag Projects, St Louis; Sikkema Jenkins & Co, New York; M Woods, Beijing; and Maccarone, New York.
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