Hiding in Plain Sight Kapwani Kiwanga b. 1978, Hamilton, CanadaLives and works in Paris, France Kapwani Kiwanga’s series of Linear Paintings uses the language of Minimalism to explore theories of color psychology and “disciplinary architecture.” As if removed from an existing wall, these paintings rendered on domestic sheetrock reference specific colors and combinations that, beginning at the turn of the 20th-century, were used in institutional settings as part of an effort to elicit various psychological and physiological responses. Kiwanga probes the effects of psychological theories of color created by scholars like Faber Birren and Alexander Schauss who created functional colors for institutions like schools, prisons, hospitals, and mental health facilities in her extensively researched works. Such theorists studied the roles that colors might play in hospitals, schools, and United States military facilities. The installation’s center line further delineates the two-color tones, accentuating the power divide between the institutional settings and the people within them, reflecting the division of social groups and hierarchies. Read More Kapwani Kiwanga, Linear Painting #11: Birren White -Turquoise (U.S Coast Guard's Shore Establishments), 2021, drywall, wood paint, 250 cm × 125 cm × 3 cm (8' 2-7/16" × 49-3/16" × 1-3/16"), Courtesy of the artist and Galerie Tanja Wagner, Berlin Learn More Close modal View Previous View Next Carousel slide 0 Carousel slide 1 Carousel slide 2 Kapwani Kiwanga Linear Painting #11: Birren White -Turquoise (U.S Coast Guard's Shore Establishments) 2021 drywall, wood paint 250 cm × 125 cm × 3 cm (8' 2-7/16" × 49-3/16" × 1-3/16"), Courtesy of the artist and Galerie Tanja Wagner, Berlin Inquire How can we reach you? First Name* Last Name* Email* Phone Primary Country of Residence * Afghanistan Åland Islands Albania Algeria American Samoa Andorra Angola Anguilla Antarctica Antigua and Barbuda Argentina Armenia Aruba Asia/Pacific Region Australia Austria Azerbaijan Bahamas Bahrain Bangladesh Barbados Belarus Belgium Belize Benin Bermuda Bhutan Bolivia Bosnia and Herzegovina Botswana Bouvet Island Brazil British Indian Ocean Territory British Virgin Islands Brunei Bulgaria Burkina Faso Burundi Cambodia Cameroon Canada Cape Verde Caribbean Netherlands Cayman Islands Central African Republic Chad Chile China Christmas Island Cocos (Keeling) Islands Colombia Comoros Congo Cook Islands Costa Rica Cote d'Ivoire Croatia Cuba Curaçao Cyprus Czech Republic Democratic Republic of the Congo Denmark Djibouti Dominica Dominican Republic East Timor Ecuador Egypt El Salvador Equatorial Guinea Eritrea Estonia Ethiopia Europe Falkland Islands Faroe Islands Fiji Finland France French Guiana French Polynesia French Southern and Antarctic Lands Gabon Gambia Georgia Germany Ghana Gibraltar Greece Greenland Grenada Guadeloupe Guam Guatemala Guernsey Guinea Guinea-Bissau Guyana Haiti Heard Island and McDonald Islands Honduras Hong Kong Hungary Iceland India Indonesia Iran Iraq Ireland Isle of Man Israel Italy Jamaica Japan Jersey Jordan Kazakhstan Kenya Kiribati Kosovo Kuwait Kyrgyzstan Laos Latvia Lebanon Lesotho Liberia Libya Liechtenstein Lithuania Luxembourg Macau Macedonia (FYROM) Madagascar Malawi Malaysia Maldives Mali Malta Marshall Islands Martinique Mauritania Mauritius Mayotte Mexico Micronesia Moldova Monaco Mongolia Montenegro Montserrat Morocco Mozambique Myanmar (Burma) Namibia Nauru Nepal Netherlands Netherlands Antilles New Caledonia New Zealand Nicaragua Niger Nigeria Niue Norfolk Island North Korea Northern Mariana Islands Norway Oman Pakistan Palau Palestine Panama Papua New Guinea Paraguay Peru Philippines Pitcairn Islands Poland Portugal Puerto Rico Qatar Réunion Romania Russia Rwanda Saint Barthélemy Saint Helena Saint Kitts and Nevis Saint Lucia Saint Martin Saint Pierre and Miquelon Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Samoa San Marino Sao Tome and Principe Saudi Arabia Senegal Serbia Seychelles Sierra Leone Singapore Sint Maarten Slovakia Slovenia Solomon Islands Somalia South Africa South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands South Korea South Sudan Spain Sri Lanka Sudan Suriname Svalbard and Jan Mayen Swaziland Sweden Switzerland Syria Taiwan Tajikistan Tanzania Thailand Togo Tokelau Tonga Trinidad and Tobago Tunisia Turkey Turkmenistan Turks and Caicos Islands Tuvalu U.S. Virgin Islands Uganda Ukraine United Arab Emirates United Kingdom United States United States Minor Outlying Islands Uruguay Uzbekistan Vanuatu Vatican City Venezuela Vietnam Wallis and Futuna Western Sahara Yemen Zambia Zimbabwe Inquiry Message Have you purchased from Pace before?* Yes No Submit Inquiry Or go back In this group of paintings, the color principles are drawn from the US Coast Guard Paint and Color Manual, 1952-1965, for which Birren created an itemized color specification plan associated with every structure on the shore establishments. The color principles were designed for specific interior spaces based on technical studies in color and medical research on the visual and physiological effects of color on humans. Color standards were created for psychological relief from extreme temperatures, and the brightness and contrast of colors were chosen for their impact on vision and clear sight. With Federal Standard color codes, which are still used today by the US government for various institutions, a specialized range of soft toned colors were created for the interiors of Coast Guard shore establishments to avoid “needless emotional distraction and to resist soiling and abuse.” Read More Kapwani KiwangaKapwani Kiwanga (b. 1978, Hamilton, Canada) lives and works in Paris. She studied at Le Fresnoy, Studio National des Arts Contemporains, France (2009), L’Ecole Nationale des Beaux-Arts de Paris (2005–2007), and Anthropology and Religions at McGill University, Montreal (1998–2002). Her recent and upcoming shows include Kapwani Kiwanga: Soft Measures, Glasgow International, United Kingdom (2018); Kapwani Kiwanga: Sunlight by Fireside, Musée de Joliette, Canada (2018); Kapwani Kiwanga: Safe Passage, MIT, List Visual Arts Center, Cambridge (2019); Kapwani Kiwanga: Plot, Haus der Kunst, Munich (2020); Kapwani Kiwanga: A Certain Distance, Centre d'art contemporain d'Ivry - le Crédac, Ivry-sur-Seine, France (2020). In 2020, Kiwanga received the Prix Marcel Duchamp Award (2020). She was also the winner of the annual Sobey Art Award (2018), the Frieze Artist Award (2018), Inaugural Étant Donnés Prize (2019), and the Golden Cube (2019), and the Kassel Documentary Film and Video Festival (2019). Her work resides in numerous public collections worldwide, including Museo de Arte Contemporanea de Castilla y Léon, Spain; Le Plateau, FRAC Ile-de-France, Paris; Centre National des Arts Plastiques, Paris; National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa; Kadist Foundation, Paris; and MIT List Visual Arts Center, Boston, among others. Read More Past Hiding in Plain Sight Jul 14 – Aug 20, 2021 New York