Mark Bradford
New Works

February 17 - May 20, 2018

Los Angeles

Hauser & Wirth is proud to present ‘Mark Bradford. New Works,’ the artist’s first gallery exhibition in his hometown of Los Angeles in over 15 years. The ten new works on view find Mark Bradford furthering his investigations into the technical and sociopolitical potentials of abstract painting, deploying the profound insight and inventiveness that have established him as one of the most significant and influential artists of his generation. ‘New Works’ opens on the heels of a year in which Bradford received acclaim for ‘Tomorrow Is Another Day,’ his searing exhibition for the US Pavilion at the 2017 Venice Biennale, which will travel to The Baltimore Museum of Art (BMA), and unveiled ‘Pickett’s Charge,’ a monumental commission for the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden in Washington, D.C., inspired by artist Paul Philippoteaux’s nineteenth-century cyclorama in Gettysburg National Military Park, Pennsylvania. More recently, Mark Bradford’s ‘We The People’ (2017) – a site-specific painting comprised of 32 panels containing the entire US Constitution – was commissioned for the new US Embassy in London.

View more

Events

Exhibition Walkthrough with Curator Connie Butler and Artist Charles Gaines

Join us for a walkthrough of ‘Mark Bradford. New Works’ led by Connie Butler, Hammer Museum chief curator and curator of Bradford’s first museum exhibition in LA, ‘Mark Bradford: Scorched Earth’ (2015), and Charles Gaines, LA-based artist and Bradford’s former professor at California Institute of the Arts (CalArts). In the new works on view, Bradford probes stories found in comic books to question the archetype of the antihero and the influence of the media on contemporary society, while also revisiting misconceptions of black identity and gender as seen in previous works. ‘New Works’ presents paintings that extend the artist’s examination of homophobia and racism in American society, continuing themes explored in Bradford’s multimedia installation ‘Spiderman’ (2015), which was shown at the Hammer Museum in LA in 2015. This event is free, however, reservations are recommended. Image Caption: Installation view ‘Mark Bradford. New Works’, Hauser & Wirth Los Angeles, 2018 © Mark Bradford Courtesy the artist and Hauser & Wirth Photo: Joshua White

Family Studio Workshop: Mark Bradford

On the occasion of Mark Bradford’s first solo show with the gallery in LA, ‘Mark Bradford. New Works’, join us for a two-part Family Studio Workshop that explores Bradford’s methods of layering and subtracting to create dense abstractions. By using tape, paper, paint, and stickers, families will build up the surface of their artworks and then remove elements to reveal the imagery underneath. The workshop will be led by Matt MacFarland. Our team of Educators will be available every half hour, beginning at 12.30 pm, to guide children and parents on walkthroughs of ‘Mark Bradford. New Works’ as they finish their artworks. This drop-in activity is free, however, reservations are recommended. Click here to register. About Mark Bradford Mark Bradford is one of the world’s most prominent and critically acclaimed contemporary artists. His densely layered paintings and mixed media installations question America’s social landscape, politics and cultural history through a rigorous physical and material approach to the canvas. Bradford was born in 1961 in Los Angeles, California, where he lives and works.

Public Opening: Louise Bourgeois, Mark Bradford and Geta Brătescu

On Saturday 17 February from 6 – 9 pm, join us for the public opening of three exhibitions – ‘Louise Bourgeois. The Red Sky’, ‘Mark Bradford. New Works’, and ‘Geta Brătescu. The Leaps of Aesop’. Celebrate with food and drinks provided by Manuela and music in the Courtyard courtesy of MOON UTERUS – DJ duo Mel Shimkovitz and Amy von Harrington. Plan your trip By Public Transport Ten-minute walk from Little Tokyo / Arts District Metro Station. Plan your trip using Metro Planner. Parking Street parking is available. The following lots are suggested for their proximity to the gallery. Hours and rates may vary. For a map of parking lots and public transportation stops, please click here. This event is open to the public and free to attend.

Saint Heron: Coldest Winter

For one night only, SAINT HERON presents ‘COLDEST WINTER’ at Hauser & Wirth Los Angeles. ‘COLDEST WINTER’ is an immersive, multi-channel video comprised of simultaneous projections across multiple screens. Music will be provided by SAINT HERON Resident DJ Kyle Woods. Food and beverage will be available for purchase by Manuela, the gallery’s onsite restaurant. Ticket holders will also have access to all three current exhibitions, ‘Mark Bradford. New Works,’ ‘Louise Bourgeois. The Red Sky,’ and ‘Geta Brătescu. The Leaps of Aesop.’ To purchase tickets for this event, click here.

About the Artist

Mark Bradford (b. 1961 in Los Angeles; lives and works in Los Angeles) is a contemporary artist best known for his large-scale abstract paintings created out of paper. Characterized by its layered formal, material, and conceptual complexity, Bradford’s work explores social and political structures that objectify marginalized communities and the bodies of vulnerable populations. Just as essential to Bradford’s work is a social engagement practice through which he reframes objectifying societal structures by bringing contemporary art and ideas into communities with limited access to museums and cultural institutions.

Current Exhibitions