Adam Pendleton at New Museum

As Heavy as Sculpture (2020–21), an installation made for the New Museum lobby on the occasion of (opens in a new window) Grief and Grievance, explores the limits of historical representation. The installation consists of Wall Works—floor-to-ceiling artworks applied directly to the walls—and framed works on Mylar, both of which incorporate drawings, sketches, writing, and marks, which are often combined with images.

Some of the language is drawn from the protests against police brutality that swept the U.S. in 2020 after the killing of George Floyd: Pendleton has transcribed slogans sprayed on walls and windows, combining them with his own improvised language as well as photographs of art objects and artifacts (sculptures, masks, and figures). The work points to the poetic pressure that uprisings place on language itself, compressing it in some cases into the barest of forms: simple sequences like “ACAB” and “1312,” further fragmented into the elements “A, B, C,” “1, 2, 3.” These fragments address viewers as an embodied presence, forcing them to assess where and how histories of cultural politics might ramify in the present.

To coincide with the exhibition, the New Museum is hosting a series of conversations highlighting the practices of participating artists. As part of this series, join Adam Pendleton for an (opens in a new window) online discussion with Andrew An Westover, Keith Haring Director of Education and Public Engagement at the New Museum, on April 1, 2021, at 7 PM EST.

(opens in a new window) To learn more, visit New Museum's website.