William Monk West of Nowhere Past Sep 9 – Oct 21, 2023 Los Angeles Exhibition Details:William MonkWest of NowhereSep 9 – Oct 21, 2023Gallery:1201 South La Brea AvenueLos AngelesPress:Press ReleaseConnect: (opens in a new window) @_william_monk_ (opens in a new window) @pacegalleryAbove: William Monk, Son of Nowhere IV, 2023, oil on canvas, 270 cm × 255 cm (8' 10-5/16" × 8' 4-3/8") © William Monk Pace is pleased to present West of Nowhere, an exhibition of new works by William Monk, on view from September 9 to October 21 at its Los Angeles gallery. The exhibition will mark the artist’s first solo show in LA since 2015. Monk’s recently released catalogue—produced by Pace Publishing on the occasion of his 2022 exhibition The Ferryman at the gallery’s New York space—will be available to view and purchase on-site at Pace in LA.Monk is known for his atmospheric, vibrant compositions that feature mysterious and otherworldly forms. The artist’s semi-abstract paintings are deeply engaged with the rich tradition and history of the medium. He frequently creates works as part of different series, drawing on various sources of inspiration connected to his own experience.West of Nowhere, focusing holistically on notions of transience and liminality, will spotlight two new bodies of work by the artist: large-scale landscapes that relate to the paintings he presented at Pace’s New York gallery last year and small-scale paintings based on Rorschach inkblot tests. Both these series are underpinned by questions of subjectivity and perception, particularly as they relate to ascriptions of meaning.Like his other bodies of work, Monk’s new paintings evade easy categorization and interpretation. As the artist has said, “Only after the work is complete do I become aware of specific past experiences that helped to inform it— perhaps in the same way that a dream picks up on certain conscious moments and twists them.”The four landscape paintings that will anchor Monk’s upcoming exhibition with Pace in LA suggest what French anthropologist Marc Augé termed “non-place,” or an anthropological space in which human relationships, histories, and identities are erased. In these works, mountainous landscapes rendered in patchworks of mottled gray, lilac, and ochre hues are partially obscured by groups of centrally situated, vertically oriented pillars that feature washes of color. The paintings in this body of work invite viewers to imagine themselves within the pictorial space while also, paradoxically, denying access to the very landscape depicted—and to any fixed meaning—by way of the pillars.The six small-scale paintings in the second body of work on view in West of Nowhere directly references inkblots from Hermann Rorschach’s psychological tests, but the abstract, mesmeric shapes in Monk’s works are painted in bright, bold colors. Presenting unusual and psychedelic referents, these paintings reflect the phenomenon of pareidolia, in which the mind seeks to create meaning from indistinct, ambiguous, or nebulous visual stimuli. Read More Featured Works William Monk, Son of Nowhere IV, 2023, oil on canvas, 8' 10-5/16" × 8' 4-3/8" (270 cm × 255 cm) Learn More Close modal William Monk Son of Nowhere IV 2023 oil on canvas 8' 10-5/16" × 8' 4-3/8" (270 cm × 255 cm) Inquire How can we reach you? First Name* Last Name* Email* Phone Inquiry Message Have you purchased from Pace before?* Yes No Submit Inquiry Or go back William Monk, Son of Nothing IV, 2023, oil on canvas, 45 cm × 70 cm (17-11/16" × 27-9/16") Learn More Close modal William Monk Son of Nothing IV 2023 oil on canvas 45 cm × 70 cm (17-11/16" × 27-9/16") Inquire How can we reach you? First Name* Last Name* Email* Phone Inquiry Message Have you purchased from Pace before?* Yes No Submit Inquiry Or go back William Monk, Son of Nothing I, 2023, oil on canvas, 45 cm × 70 cm (17-11/16" × 27-9/16") Learn More Close modal William Monk Son of Nothing I 2023 oil on canvas 45 cm × 70 cm (17-11/16" × 27-9/16") Inquire How can we reach you? First Name* Last Name* Email* Phone Inquiry Message Have you purchased from Pace before?* Yes No Submit Inquiry Or go back Installation Views 1/18 2/18 3/18 4/18 5/18 6/18 7/18 8/18 9/18 10/18 11/18 12/18 13/18 14/18 15/18 16/18 17/18 18/18 Carousel slide 0 Carousel slide 1 Carousel slide 2 Carousel slide 3 Carousel slide 4 Carousel slide 5 Carousel slide 6 Carousel slide 7 Carousel slide 8 Carousel slide 9 Carousel slide 10 Carousel slide 11 Carousel slide 12 Carousel slide 13 Carousel slide 14 Carousel slide 15 Carousel slide 16 Carousel slide 17 FilmWilliam Monk on West of NowhereThis new film explores West of Nowhere, an exhibition of new works by William Monk, on view through October 21 at our Los Angeles gallery. In his narration for our film—which features sweeping views of the presentation along with details of individual paintings—Monk shares details about his creative process. About the ArtistWilliam Monk’s scenographic works tap into the rich tradition of painting. Monk paints enigmatic and vibrant canvases using starkly divisional compositions. The artist often works in extensive series that gradually evolve over time. His paintings carry irregular intensities of detail, line, foreground, and background.Learn More Journal View All Films William Monk on "West of Nowhere" Oct 19, 2023 Pace Publishing William Monk: The Ferryman Aug 15, 2023 Films William Monk: Untitled (zip) II – VII May 05, 2020 Exhibitions Announcing A New Series of Online Exhibitions Apr 20, 2020 Overview Featured Works Installation Views Exhibition Film About the Artist Journal