Press Release
Sadie Coles HQ is pleased to announce an exhibition of sculpture by North American artist Sam Durant at our off-site location in EC1. The exhibition is curated by Helen van der Meij-Tcheng.
In 2006, Durant produced a series of sculptures replicating mass-produced plastic lawn chairs in fine Chinese porcelain. It is fitting that the first presentation of the complete series takes place in London, a city known for its historical trade with the Far East and China, and renowned for its long-standing engagement with valuable Chinese ceramics and antiquities. The titles of the works are expansive, for example: “Unique Mono-Block Resin Chair. Built at Jiao Zhi Studio, Xiamen, China. Produced by Ye Xing You and Du Wei Dong with craftspeople Xu Liang Jian and Xu Zhi Hong. Kang Youteng, project manager and liaison [various colours].” No longer produced through automated injection moulding but instead crafted by hand, the works invite the viewer to consider the aesthetic value of one of the world’s most democratic objects.
Through a transparency of process—evident in the detailed titles—and by remaking cheap, non-patented, non-copyrighted garden furniture, often mass-produced in China, into one-off, handmade, high-end objects, Durant’s sculptures acquire a sharply provocative edge. Undeniably ironic commentaries on globalisation, the works raise questions about mass consumption, the stereotyped saturation of markets with inexpensive Chinese goods, and the impact of emergent industries on both native and foreign cultures.
Durant has previously used chairs to address everyday issues. In 1995, he photographed upended designer chairs in an abrasive, pornographic light, humorously debunking the carefully ordered modern interior and its commodity fetishism. His practice is sharp and calculated, exploring unexpected relationships between a wide range of cultural and historical phenomena. Often assembling assortments of seemingly mundane objects—both found and fabricated—and situating them within the exhibition space, Durant creates poignant and frequently comic commentaries on key moments of the 21st century.
Durant’s interests are acutely political. Past works have addressed the Civil Rights Movement and the Black Panthers, the Kent State student massacre in Ohio, and the centuries-long struggle between Native Americans and white settlers.
Sam Durant lives and works in Los Angeles, California. Recent solo exhibitions have been held at Massachusetts College of Art, Boston; Paula Cooper Gallery, New York; the Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles; the Walker Art Center, Minneapolis; and the Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art, Hartford, Connecticut. His work has been included in numerous group exhibitions, including the 2006 Busan Biennale, Korea; the 2004 Whitney Biennial, New York; the 2002 Venice Biennale, Italy; and Out of Place: Contemporary Art and the Architectural Uncanny at the Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago.
