Opening January 17 at ICA Philadelphia, Carl Cheng: Nature By no means Loses marks the primary in-depth museum survey of multidisciplinary artist Carl Cheng. Encompassing greater than 60 works in addition to archival supplies on view all through each flooring of the ICA, the exhibition brings collectively six a long time of Cheng’s prescient, genre-defying work which operates on the intersection of id, know-how, and ecology. Nature By no means Loses highlights the revolutionary and interdisciplinary nature of Cheng’s observe — one which has been largely excluded from artwork historic narratives to this point. The present animates the arc of the artist’s profession by a multidisciplinary, ephemeral, process-based, and interactive presentation.
Carl Cheng, “Human Landscapes – TCA72024” (2024), sand (© Carl Cheng, picture courtesy The Up to date Austin, {photograph} by Alex Boeschenstein)
Cheng first developed his observe in Southern California within the Nineteen Sixties amid political unrest, an interdisciplinary artwork scene, a booming post-war aerospace trade, and the fast growth of the area’s panorama. Over the past 60 years, he has created an ever-evolving physique of labor that comes with quite a lot of supplies and media, engages with environmental change, investigates the relevance of artwork establishments to the general public, and scrutinizes the function of know-how in society — subjects which can be more and more pressing in our modern second.
Whereas Cheng initially gained recognition for his photographic sculptures, his creative lexicon contains the creation of “art tools” employed within the manufacturing of artworks, “nature machines” that anticipate a synthetic world formed by people, and site-specific interventions aimed toward participating broad audiences. His work has constantly probed questions of pure company and the extractive influence of people on the setting. These investigations are tied to his distinctive method to know-how as a creative device and his critique of neoliberal notions of progress that undergird each the artwork market and the tech trade.
Carl Cheng, “Early Warning System” (1967–2024), fabricated plastic, electronics, projector, wheat, wood base, and radio tuned to native climate station, 77 x 35 x 34 7/8 inches. Set up view, Carl Cheng: Nature By no means Loses, The Up to date Austin, 2024. (© Carl Cheng, picture courtesy The Up to date Austin, {photograph} by Alex Boeschenstein)
On view at ICA Philadelphia by April 6, Carl Cheng: Nature By no means Loses is curated by Alex Klein, Head Curator and Director of Curatorial Affairs at The Up to date Austin; with Denise Ryner, Andrea B. Laporte Curator; as ICA’s receiving curator. Klein beforehand served as Senior Curator at ICA and has labored intently with Cheng during the last 4 years, meticulously distilling the artist’s huge oeuvre and archival materials right into a survey that features documentation of not often seen previous installations and public artworks. The exhibition premiered at The Up to date Austin and might be offered all through North America and Europe following its presentation at ICA.
To study extra, go to icaphila.org.
Carl Cheng, “Erosion Machine No. 4” (1969–2020), plexiglas, steel racks and fittings, plastic, water pump, LED lights, black gentle, pebbles, “human rocks” (composite of natural and inorganic supplies), wooden base, 77 x 35 x 34 7/8 inches. Set up view, Carl Cheng: Nature By no means Loses, The Up to date Austin, 2024. (© Carl Cheng, picture courtesy The Up to date Austin, {photograph} by Alex Boeschenstein)
Set up view of Carl Cheng: Nature By no means Loses at The Up to date Austin, 2024 (© Carl Cheng, picture courtesy The Up to date Austin, {photograph} by Alex Boeschenstein)
