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Titus Kaphar

New Alte̲rs: Reworking Devotion

March 17–May 15, 2022
Grosvenor Hill, London

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Installation video

Installation view Artwork © Titus Kaphar. Photo: Prudence Cuming Associates Ltd

Installation view

Artwork © Titus Kaphar. Photo: Prudence Cuming Associates Ltd

Installation view Artwork © Titus Kaphar. Photo: Prudence Cuming Associates Ltd

Installation view

Artwork © Titus Kaphar. Photo: Prudence Cuming Associates Ltd

Installation view Artwork © Titus Kaphar. Photo: Prudence Cuming Associates Ltd

Installation view

Artwork © Titus Kaphar. Photo: Prudence Cuming Associates Ltd

Installation view Artwork © Titus Kaphar. Photo: Prudence Cuming Associates Ltd

Installation view

Artwork © Titus Kaphar. Photo: Prudence Cuming Associates Ltd

Installation view Artwork, left and right: © Titus Kaphar; center: © 2022 Fairweather & Fairweather LTD/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York/DACS, London. Photo: Prudence Cuming Associates Ltd

Installation view

Artwork, left and right: © Titus Kaphar; center: © 2022 Fairweather & Fairweather LTD/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York/DACS, London. Photo: Prudence Cuming Associates Ltd

Installation view Artwork © Titus Kaphar. Photo: Prudence Cuming Associates Ltd

Installation view

Artwork © Titus Kaphar. Photo: Prudence Cuming Associates Ltd

Installation view Artwork © Titus Kaphar. Photo: Prudence Cuming Associates Ltd

Installation view

Artwork © Titus Kaphar. Photo: Prudence Cuming Associates Ltd

Installation view Artwork © Titus Kaphar. Photo: Prudence Cuming Associates Ltd

Installation view

Artwork © Titus Kaphar. Photo: Prudence Cuming Associates Ltd

Installation view Artwork © Titus Kaphar. Photo: Prudence Cuming Associates Ltd

Installation view

Artwork © Titus Kaphar. Photo: Prudence Cuming Associates Ltd

Installation view Artwork © Titus Kaphar. Photo: Prudence Cuming Associates Ltd

Installation view

Artwork © Titus Kaphar. Photo: Prudence Cuming Associates Ltd

Installation view Artwork © Titus Kaphar. Photo: Prudence Cuming Associates Ltd

Installation view

Artwork © Titus Kaphar. Photo: Prudence Cuming Associates Ltd

Works Exhibited

Titus Kaphar, New E̲nunciation, 2021 Oil on canvas with vinyl, 71 ½ × 77 ¼ × 2 ¼ inches (181.6 × 196.2 × 5.7 cm)© Titus Kaphar. Photo: Rob McKeever

Titus Kaphar, New E̲nunciation, 2021

Oil on canvas with vinyl, 71 ½ × 77 ¼ × 2 ¼ inches (181.6 × 196.2 × 5.7 cm)
© Titus Kaphar. Photo: Rob McKeever

Titus Kaphar, Topography and Desire, 2022 Oil on canvas, vinyl, and pins, in wood frame, 65 ¾ × 49 ⅞ × 11 ⅞ inches (167 × 126.5 × 30 cm)© Titus Kaphar. Photo: Prudence Cuming Associates Ltd

Titus Kaphar, Topography and Desire, 2022

Oil on canvas, vinyl, and pins, in wood frame, 65 ¾ × 49 ⅞ × 11 ⅞ inches (167 × 126.5 × 30 cm)
© Titus Kaphar. Photo: Prudence Cuming Associates Ltd

Titus Kaphar, The Eye of Providence, 2022 Oil on canvas, vinyl, and wood, 94 × 67 ¼ × 2 ¾ inches (238.8 × 170.8 × 7 cm)© Titus Kaphar. Photo: Prudence Cuming Associates Ltd

Titus Kaphar, The Eye of Providence, 2022

Oil on canvas, vinyl, and wood, 94 × 67 ¼ × 2 ¾ inches (238.8 × 170.8 × 7 cm)
© Titus Kaphar. Photo: Prudence Cuming Associates Ltd

Titus Kaphar, An Illusion of Progress, 2022 Oil on canvas, vinyl, and wood, in enamel frame with velvet, 78 ½ × 65 ½ × 9 ⅜ inches (199.4 × 166.4 × 24 cm)© Titus Kaphar. Photo: Prudence Cuming Associates Ltd

Titus Kaphar, An Illusion of Progress, 2022

Oil on canvas, vinyl, and wood, in enamel frame with velvet, 78 ½ × 65 ½ × 9 ⅜ inches (199.4 × 166.4 × 24 cm)
© Titus Kaphar. Photo: Prudence Cuming Associates Ltd

Titus Kaphar, Nothing to See Here, 2021 Oil on canvas, vinyl, wood, and rope, 78 ¾ × 65 ⅞ × 7 ⅞ inches (200 × 167.5 × 20 cm)© Titus Kaphar. Photo: Prudence Cuming Associates Ltd

Titus Kaphar, Nothing to See Here, 2021

Oil on canvas, vinyl, wood, and rope, 78 ¾ × 65 ⅞ × 7 ⅞ inches (200 × 167.5 × 20 cm)
© Titus Kaphar. Photo: Prudence Cuming Associates Ltd

Titus Kaphar, Doubt III, 2022 Wax with tar and gold enamel and oil on canvas, 56 ⅜ × 34 ¼ × 33 ⅞ inches (143 × 87 × 86 cm)© Titus Kaphar.

Titus Kaphar, Doubt III, 2022

Wax with tar and gold enamel and oil on canvas, 56 ⅜ × 34 ¼ × 33 ⅞ inches (143 × 87 × 86 cm)
© Titus Kaphar.

Titus Kaphar, Shroud of Washington, 2021 Concrete, oil on canvas, and gold leaf, 59 ½ × 21 ¼ × 17 ⅜ inches (151 × 54 × 45 cm)© Titus Kaphar. Photo: Rob McKeever

Titus Kaphar, Shroud of Washington, 2021

Concrete, oil on canvas, and gold leaf, 59 ½ × 21 ¼ × 17 ⅜ inches (151 × 54 × 45 cm)
© Titus Kaphar. Photo: Rob McKeever

Titus Kaphar, Sindon, 2022 Wood with oil on canvas, on cinder blocks, 75 ⅝ × 32 ⅞ × 20 ¼ inches (192 × 83.5 × 51.5 cm)© Titus Kaphar. Photo: Prudence Cuming Associates Ltd

Titus Kaphar, Sindon, 2022

Wood with oil on canvas, on cinder blocks, 75 ⅝ × 32 ⅞ × 20 ¼ inches (192 × 83.5 × 51.5 cm)
© Titus Kaphar. Photo: Prudence Cuming Associates Ltd

About

Gagosian is pleased to present New Alte̲rs: Reworking Devotion, an exhibition of new paintings and sculptures by Titus Kaphar. Held at the gallery’s Grosvenor Hill location, it marks the artist’s first exhibition in London. COLONELGARGLE (2008), a steel sculpture by John Chamberlain, is also included, establishing a visual dialogue with Kaphar’s work.

In paintings, sculptures, and installations, Kaphar examines the history of representation by altering the work’s supports. In doing so, he reveals oft unspoken social and political truths, dislodging history from its status as “past” to underscore its contemporary relevance. New Alte̲rs: Reworking Devotion stresses the heterogeneity of Kaphar’s process by incorporating all the techniques he has employed to date into a single presentation that emphasizes the images’ surreality and strangeness. It is characterized by a layering of imagery and form, and by a strategic disregard for the consistency of ground and space. Shifts in scale turn some figures into miniatures and others into giants, while the use of gilded frames hints at a dedication to something beyond the physical.

What, asks Kaphar, might it mean to produce a contemporary devotional structure within a secular art world—especially in the context of a European art historical tradition dominated by religious imagery and architecture—and what parallels might be drawn between artistic and spiritual practices? Further, what are the implications of resurrecting characters from the past and inserting them into environments and situations that would be unrecognizable to them? By incorporating painted black-and-white reproductions of American Civil War–era daguerreotypes into several paintings here, Kaphar recalls a period that was critical for defining freedom in the United States.

Read more

Titus Kaphar and Zoé Whitley sit in front of the artist’s artwork

In Conversation
Titus Kaphar and Zoé Whitley

Join Titus Kaphar and Zoé Whitley as they discuss the artist’s recent exhibition New Alte̲rs: Reworking Devotion, featuring paintings and sculptures in which Kaphar examines the history of representation by altering the work’s supports to reveal oft unspoken social and political truths.

Detail of Lauren Halsey sculpture depicting praying hands, planets, and other symbol against red and green background

Black Futurity: Lessons in (Art) History to Forge a Path Forward

Jon Copes asks, What can Black History Month mean in the year 2024? He looks to a selection of scholars and artists for the answer.

Titus Kaphar and Derek Cianfrance both wearing large headphones and tee-shirts on a film set

Titus Kaphar and Derek Cianfrance

Titus Kaphar and director Derek Cianfrance spoke on the opening night of Titus Kaphar Selects, a film program curated by the artist as part of a series copresented by Gagosian and Metrograph in the spring of 2023. The pair discussed their respective practices, including Cianfrance’s film Blue Valentine (2010) and Kaphar’s film Exhibiting Forgiveness, which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival on January 20, 2024.

NXTHVN, 169 Henry Street, New Haven, Connecticut. Photo: John Dennis

NXTHVN: Curatorial Visions

Jamillah Hinson and Marissa Del Toro, recent curatorial fellows of Titus Kaphar’s nonprofit community arts hub NXTHVN, address their curatorial praxes.

Titus Kaphar at NXTHVN, New Haven, Connecticut

NXTHVN

NXTHVN is a new national arts model that empowers emerging artists and curators of color through education and access. Through intergenerational mentorship, professional development, and cross-sector collaboration, NXTHVN accelerates professional careers in the arts. Join Titus Kaphar and Jason Price on a tour of the organization’s headquarters in New Haven, Connecticut. They discuss the founding and vision for this singular arts space.

Titus Kaphar in his studio, touching his painting.

Titus Kaphar: From a Tropical Space

Join the artist in his studio in New Haven, Connecticut, where he speaks about his latest paintings.

News

Installation view, Titus Kaphar: New Alte̲rs: Reworking Devotion, Gagosian, Grosvenor Hill, London, March 17–May 15, 2022. Artwork © Titus Kaphar. Photo: Prudence Cuming Associates Ltd

Visit

London Gallery Weekend 2022
Damien Hirst, Cristina Iglesias, Titus Kaphar, Richard Prince

May 13–15, 2022
London
londongalleryweekend.art

As part of London Gallery Weekend, Gagosian will have extended hours at all London locations, including the Gagosian Shop in Burlington Arcade, where visitors can browse Richard Prince artist’s books, posters, and other merchandise as part of his Shop takeover. Visitors can view the exhibitions Cristina Iglesias at Davies Street, which opens on Saturday, May 14; Titus Kaphar: New Alte̲rs: Reworking Devotion at Grosvenor Hill, before it closes on May 15; and Damien Hirst: Natural History at Britannia Street.

A range of activities will be offered, including exhibition tours and drop-in drawing hours for visitors of all ages, in addition to treats from Connaught Patisserie and Treats ClubIn its second year, London Gallery Weekend is a free annual event featuring over 150 of the city’s leading contemporary art galleries coming together to celebrate culture and creativity.

Installation view, Titus Kaphar: New Alte̲rs: Reworking Devotion, Gagosian, Grosvenor Hill, London, March 17–May 15, 2022. Artwork © Titus Kaphar. Photo: Prudence Cuming Associates Ltd