#christopher astley

[ungrandvide]

Christopher Astley

Seven Years Below E, 2020

oil and gesso on wood panel

24 x 16 in

61 x 40.6 cm

[theories-of]

Christopher Astley -Conglomeration 11 (diptych), 2015, Oil on gessoed panel, 48 x 72 in. (2 panels, each 48 x 36 in.)

[exhibitiona]

Christopher Astley fills bags and containers with wet concrete and lets gravity reshape them into a new form, often imperfect or misshapen. His new print, Untitled Collage 9, turns his sculptures into a deliciously textured pattern. 

[nycartscene]

Opens Tomorrow, Dec 8, 6-8p:

"Dark Christmas" Group Exhibition

Leo Koenig, 545 W23rd St., NYC

Twentieth-century theories about sublimation inform the framework of Dark Christmas, a tongue-in-cheek nod to the artists' use of Christian and secular iconography, as well as their profound engagement with the body. Inspired by the seemingly destructive, anarchic possibilities of works by Georg Baselitz, which hint toward concurrent regeneration for both artist and audience, Dark Christmas takes shape around the deliberate urge against / manipulation of sublimation. The exhibition showcases the brute within, sexual urges, fears of failure and death, responses to strict social and religious mores, and unmediated emotional purges. Each object and the daring trajectories of their makers remain a rare and welcome counterpoint to contemporary trends and discourses that limp alongside the raw veracity of these artistic figures.

Featuring works by Christopher Astley, Georg Baselitz, Hans Bellmer, Nicole Eisenman, Juergen Klauke, Maria Lassnig, Tony Matelli, Paul McCarthy, Ana Mendieta, Pierre Molinier, Bruce Nauman, Sigmar Polke, Arnulf Rainer, Gerhard Richter, Ed Ruscha, Andres Serrano, Cindy Sherman, Kiki Smith, Molly Smith, Nicola Tyson, David Wojnarowicz, Christopher Wool, and Unica Zürn.