In Spectral Form, installation view, entry
Untitled (sptspct #1), 2012
Synthetic polymers on linen
19 × 16 inches
In Spectral Form, installation view, north wall, front
Untitled (Intrbr), 2012
Synthetic polymers on linen
48 × 37 inches
Untitled (bklck), 2012
Synthetic polymers on linen
11 × 9 inches
In Spectral Form, installation view, north wall, rear
Untitled (db/spct), 2012
Synthetic polymers on linen
67 × 51 inches
Untitled (db/spct), 2012
Synthetic polymers on linen
67 × 51 inches
Two Paths One Slightly Longer Than the Other, 2012
Synthetic polymers on jute over linen
Detail
In Spectral Form, installation view, south wall, rear
Untitled (cpt #4), 2012
Synthetic polymers on linen
19 × 16 inches
Untitled (stcc/gdt), 2012
Synthetic polymers and ceramic stucco on linen
19 × 16 inches
Untitled (cpt #3), 2012
Synthetic polymers on linen
19 × 16 inches
Untitled (4prtclv), 2012
Synthetic polymers on linen
19 × 16 inches
Untitled (vrtspc), 2012
Synthetic polymers on linen
19 × 16 inches
In Spectral Form, installation view, south wall
In Spectral Form, installation view, south wall, front
Untitled (sdg #3), 2011
Synthetic polymers on linen
63 × 51 inches
Untitled (sdg #3), 2011
Synthetic polymers on linen
63 × 51 inches
Anti-Path, 2012
Synthetic polymers on jute over linen
28 × 24 inches
Anti-Path, 2012
Synthetic polymers on jute over linen
Detail
Joe Sheftel Gallery is pleased to announce In Spectral Form, the first New York solo exhibition by Adam Henry. Henry investigates the basic logic of painting by reordering its elements: he fuses color, splices canvas, and folds painting surfaces. His experiments with spectral arrays and intricate paths conjure philosophies of space, ancient textiles, and new technologies.
Just as a spectrum forms when light is dispersed, Henry’s emulsion paintings display bands of color moving as forces through the spectrum of red to violet. When red and blue meet a violet haze forms; opposites yellow and violet collide and dissipate, creating the liminal state D.H. Lawrence calls “good oblivion.” Henry’s wet-into-wet technique captures the alchemy of colors’ interactions.
Throughout Henry’s paintings, the concept of spectrum structures a variable universe. Henry also explores painting’s forms by incrementally compressing and intermingling paint, ground, and supporting fabric. In the Path paintings, individual drops of paint are carefully laid into the open weave of jute, giving the effect of fabric being pulled apart, allowing the front and back of the painting surface to be viewed simultaneously. The drops of paint create a continuous line loop, traversing the very structure of the weave. Other paintings are physically woven, turning inside out as strips cut from the surface fold back in on itself. Utilizing recurring shapes and forms, Henry creates doorways for the viewer to enter his work, revealing and explicating hidden anomalies in the mechanics of perception.
A woven blanket, clandestine diagrams, beams of colored light, blind spots, and embedded codes: his repeated patterns display how small variations create entry to many cognitive locations.
Adam Henry grew up in Santa Fe, NM, and lives in Brooklyn, NY. He received a BFA double major in Art and Art History from University of New Mexico, and holds a Painting MFA from the Yale School of Art. He has participated in many residencies, including the LMCC at World Trade Center, Skowhegan, and is currently a Workspace Artist at Dieu Donne in New York. In 2011 he was artist in residence at Vanderbilt University, and in January 2012 he delivered a visiting artist lecture at the University of Cincinnati. His work has been shown in venues including Midway Contemporary Art in Minneapolis, Ke Center for Contemporary Art in Shanghai, Portugal Arte Biennial, and numerous group exhibitions in New York. His paintings were included in Joe Sheftel Gallery’s inaugural exhibition.