Justin Adian - Fort Worth

Skarstedt is pleased to announce Fort Worth, a solo exhibition of new works by American artist Justin Adian, titled after his hometown in Texas. Featuring over a dozen abstract paintings, the exhibition marks the artist’s first solo presentation with the gallery in the United States. Justin Adian: Fort Worth will be on view at Skarstedt Chelsea (550 West 21st Street) from September 10th through October 24th, 2015.

Adian creates his bold organic works by stretching oil enamel-painted canvas around foam cushions mounted on wood. Often combining multiple forms to create a three-dimensional composite wall relief, the works straddle the theoretical divide between painting and sculpture with wry assertiveness. Some works will feature Adian’s backlit effect, in which he creates a neon glow through layers of paint as opposed to artificial illumination. 

All created in 2015, the new works are in a wide range of sizes. The artist has carefully considered the environment of Skarstedt’s Chelsea gallery space, creating a site-specific work, which molds to the curvature of the gallery wall. Adian works outside of the traditional framework of painting, extending the surface of his works from front to back.

The exhibition title alludes to an ever-present influence on Adian’s work—his time spent in Fort Worth and the attitude of Texas. The artist adds, "I sometimes look at the paintings I made in undergrad and see the same kind of abstraction with relation to shapes and color. The work is visually very different from when I was working in Texas but some of the same notions are still kicking around.” His sculpted paintings exude playfulness through the vibrant colors, unique forms, and witty titles, such as Playback, Slip It In, Fixin It, and Layover. Adian acknowledges, “I have lived in New York for 14 years and things have certainly changed in my way of thinking, but it seems like a lot of the building blocks have endured."

Skarstedt will also publish a fully illustrated catalogue, including an essay by Texas-born art critic Dave Hickey, to accompany the exhibition.