Adverse Possession
Adverse Possession explores the ways in which artworks and their authors occupy physical and imaginary space.
The exhibition recontextualizes ten artworks from the Marieluise Hessel Collection, brought together to explore the dialogues of imagined dwellers. Positioned around the playfully assertive form of Tony Cragg’s mixed-media sculpture installation, works by Richard Artschwager, Louise Bourgeois, Aria Dean, Mona Hatoum, Yayoi Kusama, Marisa Merz, Rosemarie Trockel, and Andrea Zittel occupy the gallery both spatially and psychologically. The works on view, which span periods and artistic movements, are united by their use of direct, conceptual gestures and bold responses to Minimalism’s embrace of repetition and pared-down materials. Each piece evokes the representation of a physically absent yet conceptually present inhabitant in its unique way.
Curated by Maia Schall, Clara von Turkovich, Elisabeth Vollert, and Luke Whittaker
December 1st - 11th
Exhibited at The Hessel Museum of Art, 33 Garden Rd, Annandale-On-Hudson, NY 12504
Adverse Possession explores the ways in which artworks and their authors occupy physical and imaginary space. Selected works from the Marieluise Hessel Collection relay the narrative of an imagined dweller, recasting the institutional environment as one with potential for inhabitation.
Open and notorious in their occupation, the works lay claim to the gallery through material, scale, and psychological suggestions. The exhibited artists, whose practices span periods and artistic movements, are linked by their use of direct, conceptual gestures and varied responses to Minimalism’s embrace of repetition, systems, and pared-down materials. The indication of a makeshift dwelling emerges through artworks posturing as familiar household objects or architectural elements. Through their obvious inaccuracy and impracticality, they remain shadows of their counterparts, calling into question our perceptions of comfort and security.