“Encountering ‘T’ Space tucked in between the tall trees surrounding it is, on its own, an extraordinary architectural experience. It does not matter how you approach the building, whether you step down from the road or climb up from the side; each way of approximating the structure is impressive and unique. Depending on where you stand, the small gallery is below the ground, slightly hovering above it, or completely floating above your head. From its exterior condition alone, this is no traditional exhibition room. Upon entering the building, one encounters a symmetrical space shaped like a ‘T’ (hence the gallery’s name) following the archetypical plan of a Romanesque Basilica. The plywood walls lining its interior are usually painted white, attempting to hide the intricacies and richness of the design from the untrained eye. The strong architectural presence of the space designed by Steven Holl Architects is undeniable—a condition that is not only acknowledged but amplified by the current exhibition Painting / Sculpture by artists Peter Halley and Steph Gonzalez-Turner.”
“Painting / Sculpture is not a traditional group show. The close interaction between Halley’s wall painting, Gonzalez-Turner’s pieces, and the building makes the exhibition feel like a collaborative work of art, complementing and heightening aspects of each other. The artist’s interventions in the building allow us to perceive the gallery’s space from an expanded cultural, historical, and aesthetic perspective. Overall, this exhibition is an essay on architecture—a response through painting and sculpture to the influence of the discipline of architecture as a cultural practice whose impact extends beyond the design and construction of buildings. Furthermore, this exhibition might be signaling a new chapter in Halley’s work, one beyond the two-dimensional plane that slips past sculpture and engages with space at an architectural level. Whether it is considered through a representational, indexical, or procedural lens, architectural ideas transcend disciplinary boundaries and thus may operate through diverse media types. This exhibition is an exquisite invitation to explore the possibilities of this condition in a refreshingly contemporary approach to painting, sculpture, and architecture.”
Read the full article by Edgar Rodriguez on The Brooklyn Rail.
All images © Edgar Rodriguez
Visit ‘T’ Space for more information about the exhibition.