Hauser & Wirth will reinterpret iconic works by David Hammons as part of upcoming Frieze Los Angeles program Concerto in Black and Blue (2002) for the first time since its debut over 20 years ago.
the only time Concerto in Black and Blue Realized in 2002 at Ace Gallery in New York. (At the time, it was the artist’s first New York show in a decade.) Upon arrival, visitors were given blue-light flashlights to navigate the 20,000-square-foot space. The space, with 25-foot ceilings, was completely dark.
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As artist Glenn Ligon recalled in a 2004 article art forum Regarding Hammons’ article, “What’s in that twenty thousand square feet? Nothing. It’s completely empty except for the blue light from your flashlight and the other people walking around the space with you.”
Ligon added: “You go into the exhibition looking for art, but you come out and you are the art. Whatever is there, we bring to the space. … What is black Concerto in Black and Blue It’s what you think darkness is, what you bring to it, and what you do with what you bring when you get there. “
Over the next twenty years, Concerto in Black and Blue has become a legend. Art historian Darby English opens his 2007 book, How to view art in complete darknessread in detail concertowrote “How to view a work of art in total darkness? Of course, one cannot do this except in the most exceptional circumstances, such as when darkness itself forms the basis of the visibility of the work.” in 2023 T Magazine In an article published by New York’s 15 Gallery, art historian Sarah Lewis said the work transformed contemporary art, recalling that the work’s return came more than a year after the 9/11 attacks. Played not far from ground zero, “providing a society with a new way to survive, tragedy, really, is caught in the darkness.”
Hauser & Wirth last collaborated with Hammons in 2019, also at the downtown Los Angeles space, for an exhibition that represented one of the largest collections of Hammons’ work ever. (The gallery’s publishing department will publish a post-exhibition catalog this May.)
Concerto in Black and Blue will take over Hauser & Wirth’s two north galleries in downtown Los Angeles. The exhibition will run from February 18 to June 1. Like the Hammons exhibition, the upcoming Hauser & Wirth exhibition does not come with any press release or description.
