The Armory Show 2008

March 27 - 30, 2008
540 West 26th Street
The Armory Show

Press Release

For the tenth edition of the Armory Show, Lehmann Maupin Gallery is pleased to present new work by Lee Bul, Tony Oursler, Tracey Emin, Hernan Bas and Mickalene Thomas—artists who, to varying degrees, make art using the most and least personal of subjects, the human form itself. Each artist references the human body through sculpture, new media or painting, exploring notions of the ephemeral, visceral, performative and contested aspects of the body.

Over the past two decades Lee Bul has achieved international renown for her formally inventive, intellectually provocative oeuvre. For her first exhibition in New York at Lehmann Maupin in May 2008, select works from her recent solo exhibition at the Fondation Cartier pour l'art contemporain in Paris will be on view. At the Armory Show, Bul's fragile sculptures fashioned from mirrors, metal and beads and hanging from the ceiling explore an interest in the human form both as a physical body and as a social entity.

Following her successful representation of Great Britain at the 52nd International Venice Biennale, Tracey Emin will exhibit new work for the Armory Show. Well-known for her confessional art, Emin reveals intimate details from her life, resolving these pleasures and pains through multiple media. Here she will present a new neon sculpture in her signature scrawl proclaiming her deepest feelings and thoughts.

Tony Oursler's new works are a collision between painting and video. At the Armory Show, alongside a new collection of works on paper, Oursler will exhibit laser-cut aluminum in organic shapes with inserted videos, which have been pinched and pulled via computer manipulation to fit within the splatter forms. Oursler utilizes the body's performative qualities, mixing morphed videos, muffled sounds and odd forms to engage the viewer in sometimes disturbing ways.

Hernan Bas's work explores the codes of dandyism and its subculture as a means to define sexual attraction. Small, frail and sensuously delightful Bas's paintings personify epic romance embracing both the decadence and nastiness of pleasure. On view will be a new work on paper and in April 2009, Hernan Bas will present an exhibition of new work for the first time at Lehmann Maupin Gallery.

New York-based artist Mickalene Thomas is known for her elaborate paintings adorned with rhinestones, enamel and colorful acrylics, which will be presented at the Armory Show. Reminiscent of '70s style Blaxploitation, the subjects in Thomas' paintings radiate sexuality. Women in provocative poses sprawl across the picture plane and are surrounded by kitschy decorative patterns inspired by her childhood. Her depictions of African-American women explore notions of black female celebrity and identity while romanticizing ideas of femininity and power.

For more information please visit our website, www.lehmannmaupin.com, or contact the gallery at 212 255 2923 or info@lehmannmaupin.com

Artists in this exhibition

Exhibition Works

HERNAN BAS Oedipus and the Sphinx (proper answer to the riddle), 2008 oil on linen diptych, overall dimensions: 66 x 96 x 2 inches 167.6 x 243.8 x 5.1 cm each panel: 66 x 48 x 2 inches 167.6 x 121.9 x 5.1 cm LM11264

TRACEY EMIN Sex 11 25-11-07 Sydney, 2007 watercolor 8.27 x 11.69 inches (paper) 21 x 29.7 cm 16.25 x 19.625 inches (framed) 41.3 x 49.8 cm LM11235

LEE BUL Sternbau No. 7, 2008 crystal, glass and acrylic beads on nickel-chrome wire, stainless steel and aluminum armature 58.27 x 30.71 (diameter) inches 148 x 78 cm LM11261

MICKALENE THOMAS La Leçon d'amour, 2008 mounted c-print 47.5 x 59 inches (paper) 120.7 x 149.9 cm 52 x 64 inches (framed) 132.1 x 162.6 cm Edition of 5 LM11219

TONY OURSLER Untitled, 2008 TBD - aluminum, acrylic, LCD screen, flash media player 48 x 48 x 4 inches 121.9 x 121.9 x 10.2 cm LM11306

MR. Field Day, 2008 watercolor and pencil on paper 14.96 x 10.91 inches (paper) 38 x 27.7 cm 19 x 15 inches (framed) 48.3 x 38.1 cm LM11299

ASHLEY BICKERTON Single Snake Head , 2007 bronze 34.5 x 9 x 26 inches 87.6 x 22.9 x 66 cm Edition of 6 LM11061

LEE BUL Mekamelencolia_0801, 2008 japanese lacquer and mother of pearl inlay on panel 62.99 x 47.24 x 3.94 inches 160 x 120 x 10 cm LM11244

TRACEY EMIN Her Soft Lips Touched Mine And Every Thing Became Hard, 2008 pale pink neon 84.17 x 39.25 inches 213.8 x 99.7 cm Edition of 3 LM11242

MR. Before Snack Time, 2008 watercolor and pencil on paper 14.96 x 10.91 inches (paper) 38 x 27.7 cm 19 x 15 inches (framed) 48.3 x 38.1 cm LM11294

MR. 8:32 am, 2008 watercolor and pencil on paper 14.92 x 10.94 inches (paper) 37.9 x 27.8 cm 19 x 15 inches (framed) 48.3 x 38.1 cm LM11297

MICKALENE THOMAS L'offre de fleur, 2008 mounted c-print 15.75 x 19.75 inches (paper) 40 x 50.2 cm 19.5 x 23.25 inches (framed) 49.5 x 59.1 cm Edition of 5 LM11221

MICKALENE THOMAS FBI/Serial Portraits, 2008 rhinestone and acrylic on panel 12 panels, each: 24 x 20 inches 61 x 50.8 cm LM11265

TRACEY EMIN Sex 19 25-11-07 Sydney, 2007 watercolor 8.27 x 11.69 inches (paper) 21 x 29.7 cm 16.25 x 19.625 inches (framed) 41.3 x 49.8 cm LM11268

TONY OURSLER Untitled, 2008 TBD - aluminum, acrylic, LCD screen, flash media player 48 x 48 x 4 inches 121.9 x 121.9 x 10.2 cm LM11305

TRACEY EMIN Sex 21 25-11-07 Sydney, 2007 watercolor 8.27 x 11.69 inches (paper) 21 x 29.7 cm 16.25 x 19.625 inches (framed) 41.3 x 49.8 cm LM11270

Tony Oursler

This site uses the free Macromedia Flash plug-in extensively. Please download it here