Private View | Thursday 5 July 6 - 8pm
...is postmodernity the pastime of an old man who scrounges in the garbage-heap of finality looking for leftovers, who brandishes unconsciousnesses, lapses, limits, confines, goulags, parataxes, non-senses, or paradoxes, and who turns this into the glory of his novelty, into his promise of change? Jean-François Lyotard
Edel Assanti is pleased to present Second Nature, Oren Pinhassi’s first UK solo exhibition.
Second Nature invites us into an environment that is at once familiar and foreign, in which traditional categories of architecture, nature and body are collapsed. These classical divisions, along with ensuing binary delineations of structure, space, gender and sexuality, are rejected by Pinhassi as delinquent features of a postmodern era in its twilight.
If the postmodernist era has been defined by an aversion to reimagining society’s structure, then Pinhassi’s intention is to overcome this cultural trauma by reawakening the utopian impulse, queering rigid classifications and transforming social spaces.
Pinhassi’s installation conjures abstracted renditions of gay cruising spots, from bathhouses to parks. The sculptures harness the sexual charge of these communal spaces, where concealed desires are rendered visible. Freestanding pavilions recall urban structures, offering limited shelter or privacy, yet inviting voyeuristic curiosity in equal measure. The pavilions’ glass walls have been rendered opaque by the artist’s application of Vaseline in repetitive, painterly gestures.
The spectre of modernism is inescapable – the plaster used in the making of the sculptures evokes poured concrete; each object is unique, yet their formal and geometric regularity is decidedly functional. This sensibility is undermined, however, by the fantastical, corporal allure of these objects. Reclining chairs are personified, mimicking limbs and body language in their configuration. Serpentine towels are curled up on the floor – twisted and used, yet hardened by the solidified plaster with which they have been filled.
Where bodily forms at first seem absent, the body’s presence is implied by the scale or practical use of the structures. Smaller pergolas evoke tropical vegetation in their green colour and seemingly organic form, yet their rigidity suggests they too have some non-prescriptive purpose. Two glasses are attached to each of these umbrella-like trees, one at hand held height and the other at genital height. Orifices are present throughout the exhibition, overtly gaping from a pink burlap coated in plaster hanging from a towel rack.
Whilst the exhibition is populated by sculptures, it is the relationship between physical environment, behaviour and psychology that is the primary subject of Pinhassi’s enquiry. His alchemical sculptural process transposes a handmade peculiarity to each object, idiosyncratic in colour, texture and form. The concrete geometry of urban public space melts away – yet if this is nature, it is a new dawn.
Oren Pinhassi graduated the Yale School of Art in 2014. Recent solo shows include One in the mouth and one in the heart at Skibum MacArthur, Los Angeles, 2018; Springs at the Petach Tikva Museum of Art, Israel, 2017; Nature Calls at RIBOT Gallery, Milan, 2017; Hanging Gardens at New Capital Projects, Chicago, 2016. This summer Pinhassi will be included in This Is Not A Prop at David Zwirner, New York; in 2019 he will be included in a group exhibition at Contemporary Art Museum Houston. Completed residencies include Outset Contemporary Art Fund’s Bialik Residency, 2017, the Shandanken Project at Storm King Sculpture Park, New York, 2016 and the Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture, Maine, 2014. Pinhassi has been awarded numerous prizes including Fannie B. Pardee Prize, Yale School of Art, 2014; The Art Slant Prize, 2014; Shlomo Witkin Prize, 2011 and the Excellence Program Scholarship, Israeli Ministry of Education, 2011. Pinhassi lives and works in New York City.
Now, personalize your account so you can discover more art you'll love.
PERSONALIZE YOUR ACCOUNTa treasure trove of fine art from the world's most renowned artists, galleries, museums and cultural institutions. We offer exclusive works you can't find anywhere else.
through exclusive content featuring art news, collecting guides, and interviews with artists, dealers, collectors, curators and influencers.
authentic artworks from across the globe. Collecting with us means you're helping to sustain creative culture and supporting organizations that are making the world a better place.
with our art advisors for buying advice or to help you find the art that's perfect for you. We have the resources to find works that suit your needs.
Artspace offers you authentic, exclusive works from world-renowned artists, galleries, museums and cultural institutions. Collecting with us helps support creative culture while bringing you art news, interviews and access to global art resources.
COLLECT FROM 300+ GALLERIES & MUSEUMS
Tailor your art, news & information to your preferences.
View Preference CenterWelcome to the world's premier online marketplace for fine art.
Enjoy 10% on your next purchase by using coupon code WELCOME10 at checkout.
The world's premier online marketplace for fine art.
Enjoy 10% on your next purchase by using coupon code PHAIDON10 at checkout.
Your preferences have been saved
to your account. Update them at any time
in your Preference Center
To place a bid, enter the maximum amount you are willing to pay for the work. Artspace will accept a bid at the next increment, and save any excess amount as a maximum bid. If you are outbid, we will continue bid on your behalf up to your maximum bid.
Bidding increments increase at the following intervals:
You will receive an email confirmation of your bid and when you are outbid.
If you are the winning bidder, you will be contacted 48 hours after of the close of the auction.
Every bid submitted is treated as a maximum bid. You should always bid the maximum you are willing to spend for a work, though this does not necessarily mean you will pay that price. As the auction unfolds, we will increase your bid by increments to ensure you remain the highest bidder. If the winning amount is less than your maximum bid, you will pay the current increment. If your maximum bid no longer exceeds the current bid, you will receive an outbid notification email, and have the option to bid again.
In the case of multiple bidders placing the same maximum bid, the first person to place the maximum amount takes precedence as the highest bid until another bidder exceeds the maximum amount.
For Artspace Auctions winning bidders are charged a 15% Buyer's Premium on top of the hammer price. For Artspace Benefit Auctions, Buyer's Premiums are not applied. If they are, this will be clearly noted. Purchases made from all auctions, including benefit auctions, are subject to sales tax.
Winning bidders will be contacted within 48 hours to arrange shipping and to provide final price including commission, shipping, and taxes and duties when applicable. Promotion codes cannot be applied to auction works.
All our frames are manufactured in the USA, using eco-friendly & sustainably sourced engineered hardwood for durability and a uniform finish that is free of defects. Frames are available in Black or White Satin and Honey Pecan.
All prints are hinged to a conservation quality, acid-free and lignin-free Alpha Cellulose matboard, using an acid-free linen tape. The mat's surface paper is fade and bleed resistant and is attached to a conservation quality foam-core mounting board that will keep the work safe from deterioration over time. Artworks with a deckled or decorative edges will be floated on the matboard, with acrylic spacers to separate the art from the glazing. All mounting is fully reversible, without any potential damage to the art.
All of our frames come with picture quality .090 mm plexiglass, which blocks 66% of UV to prevent color fading from exposure to light, keeping your art protected for years to come. It is now considered the industry standard for artists, museums and galleries throughout the world.
For images up to 30" x 40"
For sheet sizes larger than 30” x 40”