Robert Indiana: Don't Lose HOPE

ContiniArtUK is pleased to announce the long-­‐awaited UK sculptures and original prints exhibition by iconic American artist Robert Indiana. Don’t Lose HOPE will be the first Indiana exhibition in the United Kingdom for over a decade and will include previously unseen works. 

The unique exhibition of sculptures and prints marks a long anticipated celebration of Robert Indiana’s artworks by British and Continental European collectors. The exhibition affords exclusive and primary access to the seminal Pop artist’s extraordinary work and includes a series of ‘HOPE’ sculptures that ContiniArtUK has directly commissioned from the 86 year old artist.

ContiniArtUK will also exhibit a series of original silkscreen prints, unique pieces and drawings including Hope for Life, EAT, Crimson Gold EAT II, Metal HOPE, Book of Love, ART, HE, SHE, PROTOTYPE FOR HOPE, LOVE, Three Fabricated Letters Glass LOVE, the complete Alphabet series, WOMAN ON A BUS and HIGH YALLER.

As in the ‘HOPE’ sculpture series, the application of ‘iconic words’ moves far beyond the ‘unabashedly optimistic’ and affirmative. These works address the most fundamental issues humanity faces: Love, Death, Sin and Forgiveness. The importance of the ‘HOPE’ sculptures lies within its suggestion of light and the illumination of a path to a better world. The “O” in HOPE leans forward, ‘propelling us to look forward to the promise of a better, more peaceful future’. The 2008 reveal of the first ‘HOPE’ sculpture (created for Barack Obama’s presidential campaign), and the 2013 retrospective Beyond Love at the Whitney Museum of American Art saw Indiana’s Hard-­‐Edge Pop art enjoy renewed critical acclaim, excitement and interest from collectors internationally.

As part of the celebrations to mark the opening of Don’t Lose HOPE, ContiniArtUK will collaborate with the global cultural and multimedia organisation Liberatum, who will present a fascinating programme of discussion and debate about the influence of Pop art on contemporary culture, featuring a panel of prominent figures from the worlds of art, film, music, theatre, media, literature and fashion.

Thanks to a unique digital tool designed and managed by Rhubbit srl. ContiniArtUK will also offer visitors the chance to experience 3D augmented reality. This new technology aims to provide in-­‐depth information on the artist and forms an educational element of the exhibition. This technology will also enable visitors to immerse themselves in a multimedia environment that celebrates the history of the movement, the social influence, and Indiana’s artistic practice.

Indiana first emerged on the Pop art wave that engulfed the art world during the early 1960s. Alongside Andy Warhol he became a figurehead of the movement, achieving unprecedented recognition with his iconic ‘LOVE’ sculpture series. The creation was to become a centrepiece of his artistic life and took on many forms, including the coloured and cubed iconic shape that still adorns many public and private spaces all around the world, from Taipei to Wichita.