30 Seconds off an Inch
Michael Queenland
Untitled (Black Balloon Rock), 2005
Stones, rubber balloons, talcum powder, Sculptee and wood, Dimensions variable
Collection of Eileen Harris Norton, Santa Monica
Courtesy Eileen Harris Norton, Santa Monica
Kori Newkirk
Untitled, 2009
Powder coated steel and acrylic, 46 x 25 x 23 in.
Courtesy the artist
Chris Ofili
Shithead, 1993
Artist's hair, elephant dung, copper wire and polyester resin, 8 x 8 x 8 in.
Collection Marjory Jacobson
Courtesy Chris Ofili and Victoria Miro Gallery, London
William Cordova
This is not 4U (I miss U already), 2004-09 (installation view)
Cardboard and aluminum foil, 25 x 35 x 5 in.
Courtesy the artist and Sikkema Jenkins & Co., New York
Glenn Ligon
Excerpt, 2009
Neon and Black paint, ed. of 5, 2 4/5 x 55 1/2 in.
Courtesy Regen Projects, Los Angeles and Luhring Augustine, New York
David Hammons
Untitled, 1978
Painted dung, pins, peanut shells, ivory elephants, plastic toy elephants, glass jar, 12 x 10 in.
Collection of Hudgins Family
Courtesy Jack Tilton Gallery, New York
David Hammons
Close Your Eyes and See Black, c.1970
Body print on gold paper, 38 1/2 x 27 1/2 in.
Courtesy Lisa and Michael Evans
Courtesy Jack Tilton Gallery, New York
Wayne Hodge
Untitled, 2009 (still)
Video, color, sound, ed. of 6; TRT 00:10:30
Courtesy the artist
30 Seconds off an Inch (installation view), 2009-10
Photo: Adam Reich
Nari Ward
Blue Rung, 2009
Wooden Ladder, metal gate, shoe tips and plastic, with UV light bug zapper and blue pigment, 78 x 21 x 38 in.
Courtesy the artist and Lehmann Maupin Gallery, New York
Nov 12, 2009—Mar 14, 2010
30 Seconds off an Inch is a major international multimedia exhibition that brings together the work of forty-two artists, ranging in age from twenty-five to seventy-two, all of whom challenge ideas of what art can be. Rather than employing traditional art materials, they make use of objects found in everyday life, including hair, rocks, refuse and clothing. Often unpolished, the work in 30 Seconds collages together different media, blurring distinctions between painting, sculpture, photography, video, performance and installation. The conceptual art in this show makes use of non-art materials to encourage viewers to think outside of the gallery, in the world where the materials originated.
The bridging of art and life is part of the legacy of the mid-century neo-avant-garde movements, and the works in 30 Seconds demonstrate the immediacy of Japanese Gutai, the bodily investment of Brazilian Neoconcretism, the playfulness of Fluxus and the material experimentation of Italian Arte Povera. The artists assembled in the exhibition—artists of color and those inspired by Black culture—engage Black culture and history with a spirit of play and irreverence to present new ways of thinking of culture and identity.
30 Seconds off an Inch includes the work of Adel Abdessemed, Edgar Arceneaux, Jabu Arnell, Sanford Biggers, Kabir Carter, William Cordova, Thierry Fontaine, Charles Gaines, My Barbarian, Deborah Grant, Rashawn Griffin, David Hammons, Maren Hassinger, Leslie Hewitt, Wayne Hodge, Rashid Johnson, Jennie C. Jones, Jayson Keeling, Simone Leigh, Glenn Ligon, Dave McKenzie, Nicole Miller, Kori Newkirk, Chris Ofili, Demetrius Oliver, Karyn Olivier, John Outterbridge, Cliff Owens, Akosua Adoma Owusu, William Pope.L, Michael Queenland, Robin Rhode, Jimmy Robert, Nadine Robinson, Paul Mpagi Sepuya, Gary Simmons, Xaviera Simmons, Shinique Smith, Soda_Jerk, Kianja Strobert, Stacy Lynn Waddell and Nari Ward.
Below, hear a selection of artists from 30 Seconds off an Inch discuss their work in the exhibition.