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THE INSTITUTE OF CONTEMPORARY ART, BOSTON
Kevin Beasley
Text by Ruth Erickson. Interview by Mark Bradford.
This is the first monograph to explore the dynamic and engaging work of New York–based artist Kevin Beasley (born 1985), published on the occasion of the largest museum exhibition of his work to date. Beasley deploys sound and clothing as his core artistic materials, combining them in stunning, densely packed sculptures and immersive acoustic experiences. In his live performances, Beasley has embedded microphones or other electronic sound equipment in sculptures made of objects and materials such as sneakers, foam and resin, exploiting and manipulating their sonic possibilities. Beasley’s diverse sculptural work ranges from compositions of shredded T-shirts, hoodies, fitted hats and du-rags, to a large-scale installation of embellished megaphones and gas masks.
Featured image is reproduced from 'Kevin Beasley.'
PRAISE AND REVIEWS
Artforum
Ralph Lemon
...exemplifying, why Kevin has become one of my favorite young artists: his multivalent sway, his ability to organically fuse disparate media in his brashly liminal work.
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Untitled (...just watch) (2015) is reproduced from the ICA Boston's new Kevin Beasley monograph, published to accompany the artist's major solo show opening today. In this work, Ruth Erickson writes, "a Nautica rain jacket stands on the floor… The jacket, which was Beasley's in high school, appears to deflate from top to bottom. The sculpture is roughly the height of a child, coming up to the waist of an adult viewer standing before it. The shrouded face and apparent exhaustion of breath below the neck elicits a sense of death, of life squeezed out; the bottom of the jacket pools lifelessly on the floor." This work was produced the same year Eric Garner and Tamir Rice were killed by police, and three years after Trayvon Martin was killed by neighborhood watch coordinator George Zimmerman. "Beasley's sculpture is not a response to any one instance of murder or brutality," Erickson continues, "but rather an evocation of a bodily state, a passing in plain sight. The work's title, just watch, could be read as a call to witness. Perhaps we are called out of resignation to the inevitable: 'Just watch.' Perhaps this is an instruction to watch our backs. Or maybe this is a pointedly taunting response to our utter disbelief." continue to blog
FORMAT: Hbk, 8.25 x 10.25 in. / 96 pgs / 50 color. LIST PRICE: U.S. $25.00 LIST PRICE: CANADA $34.5 GBP £22.00 ISBN: 9780997253825 PUBLISHER: The Institute of Contemporary Art, Boston AVAILABLE: 5/22/2018 DISTRIBUTION: D.A.P. RETAILER DISC: TRADE PUBLISHING STATUS: Active AVAILABILITY: In stock TERRITORY: WORLD
Published by The Institute of Contemporary Art, Boston. Text by Ruth Erickson. Interview by Mark Bradford.
This is the first monograph to explore the dynamic and engaging work of New York–based artist Kevin Beasley (born 1985), published on the occasion of the largest museum exhibition of his work to date. Beasley deploys sound and clothing as his core artistic materials, combining them in stunning, densely packed sculptures and immersive acoustic experiences. In his live performances, Beasley has embedded microphones or other electronic sound equipment in sculptures made of objects and materials such as sneakers, foam and resin, exploiting and manipulating their sonic possibilities. Beasley’s diverse sculptural work ranges from compositions of shredded T-shirts, hoodies, fitted hats and du-rags, to a large-scale installation of embellished megaphones and gas masks.
