Charles Gaines (image courtesy the artist and Hauser & Wirth, photo by Fredrik Nilsen)
Charles Gaines is a seminal figure in second-wave conceptualism, building on the legacy of artists like Sol Lewitt and Joseph Kosuth to consider the imperfect relationship between representation and perception. His signature “Gridworks,” which date back to the mid-70s, are photo-based works upon which the artist lays a numbered grid, sometimes on a plexiglas sheet mounted above the original image. Gaines often colors the squares following the numerical series, collapsing representational, logical, and aesthetic systems in a process that minimizes the artist’s hand. His recently opened solo exhibition at Hauser & Wirth’s Los Angeles outpost features new watercolor “Gridworks” based on images of palm trees from Palm Canyon near Palm Springs. These are accompanied by the latest in his Manifestos series, which transcribes revolutionary manifestos into musical notation, translating one form of communication into another.
In conjunction with the exhibition, Gaines will be presenting a 10-part lecture series titled Library of Ideas. Covering aesthetics and critical theory in art, the talks offer the public a chance to hear the artist discuss topics that are normally reserved for his classes at the California Institute of the Arts (CalArts), where he is on the faculty. Beginning this Thursday, the events are free but registration is required.
When: Begins Thursday, September 26, 5–6pm
Where: Hauser & Wirth (901 East 3rd Street, Downtown, Los Angeles)
More info at Hauser & Wirth.
