Physical Painting

Curated by Jennifer Samet, in conversation with Scott Wolniak, Physical Painting is about work that is anchored in the format of painting, but which incorporates materials and techniques other than paint on canvas.

The artists embrace medium hybridity by building object-like works. They use both destructive and constructive approaches: sticking elements together, embedding objects within, pouring, digging, building up, and cutting away the surface. Wood, plaster slabs, ceramics, patterned textiles, consumer items, shaped surfaces, wire, and glue are used along with, or in place of, traditional pigments and support. Processes such as casting, assembling, and stitching mingle with brushing and mark making.

This exhibition gathers a multi-generational group of artists from across the United States to reveal this expansive direction in contemporary art.