"The Present Tense"
R. Crumb, Louise Bourgeois
Ratio 3
2831A Mission Street San Francisco, CA 94110 United States
+1 (415) 821-3371 e-mail:
June 24 > July 13, 2017
R. Crumb
Untitled, 2014
Ink and correction fluid on paper
12 ¾ x 9 ⅝ inches
Ratio 3 is pleased to announce the sixth phase of our current exhibition, The Present Tense. On Saturday, June 24, The Present Tense transitions from a two-artist exhibition of works by Zach Bruder and Louise Bourgeois to a new two-artist exhibition, pairing paintings on paper and the Anatomy drypoint series by Bourgeois with a survey of original drawings, including notebook sketches and multi-page comics from the last five decades by R. Crumb.
This phase of The Present Tense features two artists who, after developing their work in different visual traditions, have each come to occupy singular positions in contemporary art and culture. Both Crumb's illustrations and Bourgeois's works on paper offer humor, wonder, and intimacy through inimitable styles of mark-making. Where Crumb’s densely cross-hatched panels frequently find absurdity in sexuality and angst, Bourgeois's etchings and gouache paintings reveal different but equally earnest and potent depictions of the human condition. Both artists’ works are simultaneously figurative and interpretive, offering powerful and occasionally unnerving representations that address human nature and probe our psychology.
By taking the absurd and mystifying aspects of desire as their subject matter, Crumb’s and Bourgeois’s images each offer glimpses into an unabashed subjectivity. Through storytelling, and reimagining the human form, each artist produces work that reveals universal themes, whether familiar or taboo, through highly personal viewpoints.
To mark the penultimate phase of The Present Tense's many two-artist conversations, Ratio 3 welcomes the public to attend a brief walkthrough of the exhibition and a reading of original poetry by author, poet, and playwright Kevin Killian on Friday, July 7, at 7pm. This event takes place at the gallery; admission is free.
The Present Tense emphasizes the perpetual nature of artistic thought and production. It is a platform to introduce new practices, reinterpret familiar bodies of work, and respond immediately to artists in an urgent moment. The Present Tense is a group exhibition drawn across time, a series of two-artist conversations, a continuous rotation surveying several artists’ practices, and an invitation for discourse.
This phase of The Present Tense features two artists who, after developing their work in different visual traditions, have each come to occupy singular positions in contemporary art and culture. Both Crumb's illustrations and Bourgeois's works on paper offer humor, wonder, and intimacy through inimitable styles of mark-making. Where Crumb’s densely cross-hatched panels frequently find absurdity in sexuality and angst, Bourgeois's etchings and gouache paintings reveal different but equally earnest and potent depictions of the human condition. Both artists’ works are simultaneously figurative and interpretive, offering powerful and occasionally unnerving representations that address human nature and probe our psychology.
By taking the absurd and mystifying aspects of desire as their subject matter, Crumb’s and Bourgeois’s images each offer glimpses into an unabashed subjectivity. Through storytelling, and reimagining the human form, each artist produces work that reveals universal themes, whether familiar or taboo, through highly personal viewpoints.
To mark the penultimate phase of The Present Tense's many two-artist conversations, Ratio 3 welcomes the public to attend a brief walkthrough of the exhibition and a reading of original poetry by author, poet, and playwright Kevin Killian on Friday, July 7, at 7pm. This event takes place at the gallery; admission is free.
The Present Tense emphasizes the perpetual nature of artistic thought and production. It is a platform to introduce new practices, reinterpret familiar bodies of work, and respond immediately to artists in an urgent moment. The Present Tense is a group exhibition drawn across time, a series of two-artist conversations, a continuous rotation surveying several artists’ practices, and an invitation for discourse.
 Robert Crumb |
Louise Bourgeois |
mpefm
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