About
I’m not interested in creating one single guillotine-edge of meaning. I’m interested in creating a system of swirling rapids and eddies of meaning that overlap to catch the spectator in between.
—Ashley Bickerton
Gagosian is pleased to announce an exhibition of sculptures and paintings by Ashley Bickerton (1959–2022), including his never-before-seen Blur paintings. Intended as a career overview, the selection of works was made and installation planned by Bickerton during a trip to New York in spring 2022. It is the gallery’s first solo exhibition of Bickerton’s work, and the first since Gagosian announced its representation of the artist in 2022. The presentation of more than twenty-five works opens at 522 West 21st Street in New York on September 8, 2023.
Originally identified with the Neo-conceptualist/Neo-Geo tendencies of late-1980s New York, Bickerton made his name with ironic, abstracted constructions focused on themes of consumerism, identity, and value. When he relocated to the Indonesian island of Bali in 1993, his work took a self-consciously ironic “exotic” turn, its ornate, crafted look contrasting sharply with the conceptual detachment of the artist’s previous output. In the last few years of his life, Bickerton brought his practice full circle, synthesizing its heterogeneous modes into an all-encompassing visual language. His approach and aesthetic have been remarked upon by an intergenerational array of artists including Matthew Barney, Damien Hirst, Jeff Koons, and Jordan Wolfson, and this exhibition provides an opportunity to celebrate his legacy and continuing influence.
#AshleyBickerton
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Gagosian
press@gagosian.com
Hallie Freer
hfreer@gagosian.com
+1 212 744 2313
Polskin Arts
Meagan Jones
meagan.jones@finnpartners.com
+1 212 593 6485
The Importance of Elsewhere: on Ashley Bickerton
This documentary film includes footage of Ashley Bickerton as he gives a tour of his Bali studio during his final year, as well as interviews with artists Matthew Barney, Mark Dion, Damien Hirst, Jamian Juliano-Villani, Jon Kessler, and writer Paul Theroux.
Now available
Gagosian Quarterly Spring 2023
The Spring 2023 issue of Gagosian Quarterly is now available, featuring Roe Ethridge’s Two Kittens with Yarn Ball (2017–22) on its cover.
Game Changer
Ashley Bickerton
Michael Slenske pays tribute to the life and work of artist Ashley Bickerton.
Bickerton’s “Bickertons” in the Realm of the Fetish
Abigail Solomon-Godeau analyzes periodization, artistic persona, and fetishism in the expansive work of Ashley Bickerton.
Truth Revealed: Damien Hirst and James Fox on Ashley Bickerton
In conversation with James Fox, Damien Hirst reflects on the artwork of his longtime friend.
News
Screening and Talk
The Importance of Being Elsewhere
Films on Ashley Bickerton
Sunday, September 10, 2023, 3pm
Anthology Film Archives, New York
anthologyfilmarchives.org
Join Gagosian for a film screening and conversation in conjunction with Ashley Bickerton: Susie’s Mother Tongue, an exhibition of more than twenty-five paintings and sculptures by the artist at Gagosian, West 21st Street, New York. The evening will feature the premiere of The Importance of Being Elsewhere, a short documentary by director Thomas Nordanstad including footage of the artist in his Bali studio during his final year, as well as interviews with Matthew Barney, Damien Hirst, Jamian Juliano-Villani, and others. Looking for Something Beyond (2018), directed by Roddy Bogawa in collaboration with Bickerton, and The Love Story of Pythagoras Redhill (1981), made by Bickerton while a student at CalArts, will also be screened. Following the films, Bogawa, Juliano-Villani, and Nordanstad will discuss the artist’s life and practice and the legacy he leaves behind.
Still from The Importance of Being Elsewhere (2023), directed by Thomas Nordanstad. Artwork © Ashley Bickerton