Parasol unit foundation for contemporary art

Parasol unit foundation for contemporary art is delighted to announce a solo exhibition of works by the distinguished American artist Martin Puryear. Showing in London for the first time in a public institution, this exhibition spans almost 40 years of the artist’s career and presents over thirty works, including sculpture and works on paper.

I value the referential quality of art, the fact that a work can allude to things or states of being without in any way representing them. Martin Puryear

Martin Puryear’s abstract sculptures are extraordinary. His reductive forms have a unique aesthetic and are loaded with a poignant sense of cultural history. Puryear explores human identity and politics with such intriguing subtlety that viewers cannot help but be enthralled by them. Meticulously constructed from a diverse range of materials, usually wood, most of his sculptures are hand-made by the artist himself using traditional techniques. Puryear’s working methods are clear testimony to his deep respect for skilled craftsmanship and his intense appreciation of the natural materials he chooses to use. The artist’s approach to his materials, his ability to use them to define both interior and exterior spaces, along with his inherent sensibility, all combine to produce profoundly considered works, infused not only with poignancy, strength and fragility but also with subliminal readings of our collective history.

In the ground floor gallery are large-scale works, such as the Big Phrygian, 2010–2014. This five-foot tall cedar-wood sculpture, painted bright vermillion, resembles the distinctive conical shape of a Phrygian cap. People of ancient Eastern Europe and Anatolia wore such caps, which in the modern world have come to signify the pursuit of liberty. More surreal is The Load, 2012, a wooden cube-shaped structure mounted above an axle connecting two found wooden cartwheels. This mobile cage, or cart with a long pulling shaft, has inside it a single gigantic eyeball looking out to the rear. Any viewer looking in through the wooden grid at the eye’s dark glass pupil will find their own reflection captured within the cage.

In the first floor gallery, the elegant curvilinear lines of Puryear’s sculptures grace various wall pieces, and in particular Phrygian Spirit, 2012–2014. This mixed-media wall sculpture, made predominantly of Alaskan yellow cedar, simply defines the negative space of a Phrygian (liberty) cap. In contrast to the fragility of that piece is the sheer solidity of the iron sculpture Shackled, 2014, which recalls the shackles worn by slaves when they were taken to America – a clear commentary on social history. Some visitors may relate this work to Puryear’s colossal Big Bling, 2015, a forty-foot high, multi-tiered, public commission sculpture recently exhibited in New York’s Madison Square Garden.


Print-making, too, has always been part of Puryear’s practice and a selection of prints are presented in a separate gallery on the first floor of the foundation.

On the outdoor terrace of Parasol unit is the towering – almost eight feet tall – evocative bronze work Question, 2013–2014, which appears to rise up like a shiny, twisting liquorice lace and anchor itself to the ground in a bulbous gourd-shaped form.

Curated by Ziba Ardalan, the Martin Puryear exhibition is accompanied by a publication, a limited edition and a full programme of related educational events aimed at involving the public.

Parasol unit appreciates the generous support of the Henry Moore Foundation and Matthew Marks Gallery.

Teachers & Artists Workshop | An Introduction to Stop-Motion Animation
With IntoFilm
Thursday 12 October, 4 - 6 pm

FREE (£5 suggested donation) | Booking required

To celebrate the 2017 Big Draw Festival, join Into Film to watch, analyse and create animations. Explore narrative, planning and design through claymation, silhouette, paper cut and pixellation animation. Learn how stop-frame animations can be made in the classroom using a range of technology such as digital cameras, iPads and smartphones, and edited using a variety of programmes.

Workshop hosted in partnership with IntoFilm.

IntoFilm provides group or whole school CPD to professionals working with young people.

Book Tickets: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/an-introduction-to-stop-motion-animation-tickets-37089733391

Suitable for

• 18+

Admission

FREE (£5 suggested donation)

Website

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/an-introduction-to-stop-motion-animation-tickets-37089733391

Preview + Artist Talk | Robert Montgomery - Parasolstice – Winter Light 2017
Wednesday 18 October, 6 - 8 pm

Preview from 6 – 8 pm | Artist Talk at 7 pm

FREE ADMISSION

Robert Montgomery’s Poem in lights to be scattered in the square mile, 2017, is the latest addition to the Parasolstice – Winter Light series and his first light piece in London commissioned by a public institution.

This site-specific work responds to the geography and neighbourhood surrounding Parasol unit.

Book: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/robert-montgomery-parasolstice-winter-light-2017-tickets-36781007985

Suitable for

• Any age

Admission

FREE ADMISSION

Website

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/robert-montgomery-parasolstice-winter-light-2017-tickets-36781007985

Early Years Workshop | Project Light
With artist educator Natalie Zervou
Thursday 21 September, 10 am - 12 pm

£2 per child, £3 per parent/carer | Booking required | Suitable for under 5s

In this dynamic workshop for under 5s and their parents/carers, artist Natalie Zervou will construct an immersive installation to evoke sensory investigation. Light, shadow and reflection will support active exploration with a specific focus on natural materials. Draw light sources from different directions using projectors to manipulate the space.

Natalie Zervou is the founder of Starting with Art: startingwithart.com

Book Tickets: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/early-years-workshop-project-light-tickets-37065336419

Suitable for

• 0-4

Admission

£2 per child, £3 per parent/carer

Website

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/early-years-workshop-project-light-tickets-37065336419

Poetry Workshop | Alaskan Yellow Cedar
With poet & musician Simon Pomery
Thursday 28 September, 7 - 9 pm

£8/6 (conc) | Booking required

Celebrate National Poetry Day and join us in this workshop where you will be encouraged to critique the abstract sculpture of Martin Puryear. Write notes on what you see, be guided through writing exercises and engage with experimental poems to unlock new improvisatory poems of your own. Have fun with art and poetry!

Simon Pomery is a poet and record producer researching a critical PhD in experimental poetry at Royal Holloway University. He curates PRAXIS, a series of text/sound events, and since 2013 has led poetry workshops inspired by the exhibitions at Parasol unit.

Book Tickets: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/poetry-workshop-alaskan-yellow-cedar-tickets-37066027486

Suitable for

• 18+

Admission

£8/6 (conc)

Website

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/poetry-workshop-alaskan-yellow-cedar-tickets-37066027486

Sunday Family Workshop | This is the House that I Built
With artist educator Flora Duley
Sunday 15 October, 2 - 4 pm

£2 per child, £3 per parent/carer | Booking required | Suitable for over 5s

Wood dipping and dying techniques will be used to colour different wooden shapes and objects. Find inventive ways to assemble these and create your own tiny world of imaginary buildings and sculptures.

Flora Duley studied Fine Art at Chelsea College of Art. She is an arts educator and runs family workshops.

Book Tickets: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/sunday-family-workshop-this-is-the-house-that-i-built-tickets-37064595202

Suitable for

• 5-6
• 7-10
• 11-13

Admission

£2 per child, £3 per parent/carer

Website

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/sunday-family-workshop-this-is-the-house-that-i-built-tickets-37064595202

Half-Term 2-Day Youth Project | The Spaces In-Between
With artist educator Sarah Pimenta
Monday 23 October & Tuesday 24 October, 10am - 2pm

£45 per participant (for both days) | Booking required | Suitable for ages 10-14 yrs

Are you a budding young artist eager to experiment with exciting materials? If so, come along to our 2-day workshop inspired by the works of American artist Martin Puryear. Learn how to work with print blocks and the special printmaking technique Chine-collé, as used by the artist himself. At the end, create an imaginative group sculpture using inventive household objects.

Social Fabric has experience leading innovative workshops, teaching, lecturing and creating stunning printed textiles in over two hundred educational establishments including schools, community venues and corporate settings.

Book Tickets: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/half-term-2-day-youth-project-the-spaces-in-between-tickets-37065668412

Suitable for

• 11-13
• 14-15

Admission

£45 per participant (for both days)

Website

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/half-term-2-day-youth-project-the-spaces-in-between-tickets-37065668412

In conjunction with Museums at Night October 2017, join us for a guided tour of the Martin Puryear exhibition led by artist Veronica Ryan who will speak about each of Puryear's extraordinary abstract sculptures and his works on paper. His approach to materials and inherent sensibility result in profoundly considered works which touch issues of identity and politics with intriguing subtlety.

Veronica Ryan is an artist who currently splits her time between New York and the UK. She completed a residency at Tate St Ives from 1998 to 2000, where she worked in the former studio of Barbara Hepworth.

Suitable for

• 18+
• Any age

Admission

£8/6 (conc)

Website

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/guided-tour-martin-puryear-exhibition-tickets-37041752880

Join us for a guided tour of the Martin Puryear exhibition led by artist Veronica Ryan who will speak about each of Puryear's extraordinary abstract sculptures and his works on paper. His approach to materials and inherent sensibility result in profoundly considered works which touch on issues of identity and politics with intriguing subtlety.

Suitable for

• Any age

Admission

£8/6 (concession)

Website

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/guided-tour-martin-puryear-exhibition-tickets-37041752880

Panel Discussion | The Work of Martin Puryear
With Richard Deacon, Dr. Jon Wood and Dr. Ziba Ardalan
Tuesday 14 November, 7pm

£8/6 (conc) | Booking required

The discussion will focus on Martin Puryear's unique practice and its impact on contemporary art. Artist Richard Deacon, Dr. Jon Wood, Research Curator at the Henry Moore Institute, and Dr. Ziba Ardalan, Founder/Director of Parasol unit, will share their perspectives on abstract sculpture today. Join us for this panel discussion as we find out more about this artist and his extraordinary works.

Book Tickets: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/panel-discussion-the-work-of-martin-puryear-tickets-37041018684

Suitable for

• 18+
• Any age

Admission

£8/6 (conc)

Website

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/panel-discussion-the-work-of-martin-puryear-tickets-37041018684

Poetry Reading | A Poetry Evening with Robert Montgomery
Thursday 30 November, 7pm

£8/6 (conc) | Booking required

Join us for a night of poetry readings with artist Robert Montgomery and a selection of contemporary guest poets invited by the artist.

Book Tickets: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/poetry-reading-a-poetry-evening-with-robert-montgomery-tickets-37066710529

Suitable for

• 18+
• Any age

Admission

£8/6 (conc)

Website

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/poetry-reading-a-poetry-evening-with-robert-montgomery-tickets-37066710529

Sunday Family Workshop | Stick it
With artist educator Alexandra Hughes
Sunday 3 December, 2 - 4 pm

£2 per child, £3 per parent/carer | Booking required | Suitable for over 5s

Bend, curve, lattice, support, tie, twist - these are some of the verbs you will consider in this exciting workshop creating fantastical sculptures. Construct large and small-scale forms using wooden sticks, rods, wooden bamboo canes, pipe cleaners, straws and other interesting materials. Make your own unique sculptures and think about the space in which they stand in.

Alexandra Hughes is an artist and artist educator: helloartisteducator.tumblr.com

Book Tickets: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/sunday-family-workshop-stick-it-tickets-37064866012

Suitable for

• 5-6
• 11-13
• 7-10

Admission

£2 per child, £3 per parent/carer

Website

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/sunday-family-workshop-stick-it-tickets-37064866012