For Art Basel Miami Beach 2024, Michael Kohn Gallery is delighted to present a focused exhibition of its historical roster that speaks to the gallery’s nearly four-decade presence in the Los Angeles contemporary art scene. In particular, this showcase weaves together key works from historical movements, such as Beat, Light and Space, Pop, and Minimalism, and contextualizes them within the grander contemporary atmosphere of the fair.
Representing the Gallery’s historical roster are internationally recognized West Coast artists. Lita Albuquerqueinterweaves photography, film, performance, painting, and sculpture into a vibrant synthesis of personal and cosmic mythologies. This year, Albuquerque presents a work from her notable Auric Field series which was included in the 2022 Venice Biennale and is in the largest scale to date. Martha Alf’s minimalist rolls of toilet paper “cylinders” stand monumental on a deftly painted stage. Bruce Conner will be represented by his found object, “trashy” assemblages, while Wallace Berman is represented by a group of his pioneering Verifax collages. As part of the Picture Generation, Mark Innerst’s cityscapes present a continuous conceptual investigation into thematic genres of traditional painting. Significantly visible in the booth is a selection of large-scale works by Joe Goode which range from his 1970s Torn Sky series to contemporary iterations of his iconic Milk Bottle paintings. A new addition to this year’s presentation is a minimal glass sculpture by Light and Space artist Larry Bell, which has not been seen publicly in decades.
Bringing the presentation into the 21st century are new works by established artists Heidi Hahn and Nir Hod. In her organic, form-forward portraits of women, Heidi Hahn portrays wavering expressions of the self in the arena of the public and private. The new work glances into Hahn’s newest series which will be shown in her upcoming solo exhibition with the gallery in Spring 2025. Nir Hod’s chromed, reflective canvases draw upon personal memory and traumatic historical events to elicit subtle tensions between the viewer’s expectations and the material reality of the paintings surface. Hod’s painterly prowess is complemented by his sculptural practice, with a 14-foot bronze candle that commands the booth.
