Art in the Age of Influence is a series of solo exhibitions presented by Ferrin Contemporary during 2020-21 season, considers the impact of artist’s source materials on their artistic process and practice.
Art in the Age of Influence: Peter Pincus | Sol LeWitt, features new works by Peter Pincus inspired by three of Sol LeWitt’s wall drawings, #340, #422 and #289, as seen first-hand in Sol LeWitt: A Wall Drawing Retrospective at MASS MoCA.
Using color theory and formulaic design patterns as points of departure, Pincus creates brightly colored vessels and expansive tile murals. Inspired by Sol LeWitt’s distinctive style, this body of work takes on his influence in their vibrant patterns and forms. LeWitt’s Wall Drawing #422 specifically relates to Pincus’ exhibition centerpiece, a series of 15 large-scale columns that carry colors across the surface of each form which create a large-scale painting when aligned together.
Gallery director, Leslie Ferrin notes “Pincus’ work in this exhibition began during his first visit to our gallery located on the MASS MoCA campus for the opening of a group show, Glazed and Diffused. After a full day exploring Sol LeWitt: A Wall Drawing Retrospective, we had an animated discussion of how the LeWitt works related to his creative practice. Like LeWitt, Pincus often begins a new series using a premise to explore various possibilities of form and color within a shared framework.”
Pincus’s last solo exhibition in 2018, Channeling Josiah Wedgwood was also a result of direct research into the extensive collection at the Birmingham Museum of Art that informed a series of complex forms based on urns and challices. Now, five years later, Pincus’s work for this 2020 exhibition began with a series of premises based on the color theories and conceptual instructions of Sol LeWitt inspired by wall drawings he first saw in person in 2014. This body of work includes containers, vessels and wall tiles, each a result of extensive research and technical experimentation.
“There is a big difference between being influenced by and being in conversation with. As an artist and educator, I am eager to acknowledge those who have elevated my thinking through their work, and to consciously engage with influence as a productive, and insightful element of studio practice. This exhibition is an opportunity to celebrate LeWitt’s approach to making as a foundation, from which I can challenge myself to see new things and grow.”
-Peter Pincus
