JTT is
pleased to present Sailboat, Charles Harlan's second exhibition with the
gallery. The reworking of a 22-foot 1968 Grampian sailboat is the centerpiece
of the show. The work takes inspiration from the artifacts of an individual's
life and the things that remain for a family to sort through after death. The
development of this project has been a collaborative effort between Harlan and
JTT founder Jasmin Tsou.
In 1996,
Jasmin’s stepfather, Richard Louck, bought a Grampian sailboat. Richard docked
the boat at Jasmin’s grandmother's home on Crab Creek in Annapolis. That
particular part of the creek is protected on three sides by large hills, making
wind scarce. Still, Richard refused to use a motor on his sailboat. Some days
it could take hours to make it to the open water, but sailing was a passion for
Richard.
In 2015,
Richard passed away. For two years the boat sat docked and unused as the sun
and brackish water aged it. From time to time, Jasmin’s mother would bail
rainwater out to prevent it from sinking. When Jasmin’s grandmother sold her
home this winter after 59 years, the family was faced with relocating the
deteriorating boat. While it brought Richard such meaning during his life, the
sailboat had gradually become a burden for his loved ones after his death.
Sailboat
explores the intersecting roles and relationships between the departed and the
bereaved, the artist and the dealer, the colleague and the friend, the past and
the future. Richard's Grampian was towed through the creek to a marina where it
was lifted and cleaned. It was then loaded onto a trailer and delivered to
Tsou’s family home in Grasonville where Harlan carefully deconstructed the
stern and the bow for sculptures.
The parts
of the boat that weren’t included in the exhibition were loaded onto Harlan’s
truck and taken to a local dump. Harlan drove the truck to the top of a
landfill and emptied its contents where a bulldozer buried the remaining
pieces.
The legacy
that is transferred from one civilization to the next is at the heart of
Charles Harlan’s sculptural practice. In previous installations, he has
questioned how earlier peoples and cultures are understood by creating
confounding experiences within our own. This exhibition relates to a shorter
and more personal timespan of legacy—one generation to the next.
Charles
Harlan was born in Smyrna, GA in 1984. He lives and works in New York. Select
solo exhibitions include Kayne Griffin Corcoran, Los Angeles; Rudolph Janssen,
Brussels; Carl Kostyál, London; Karma, New York; Pioneer Works, Brooklyn; Venus
Over Manhattan, New York; and Cleopatra’s, Brooklyn. Select group exhibitions
include David Zwirner, New York; Marlborough Gallery, New York; Atlanta
Contemporary Art Center, Atlanta; White Flag Projects, St Louis; Sikkema Jenkins
& Co, New York; M Woods, Beijing; and Maccarone, New York.
Until
Sunday June 18 2017
Venue name:
JTT
Address:
191 Chrystie St New York City 10002
Cross
street: between Rivington and Stanton Sts
Opening
hours: Wed–Sun 11am–6pm
Transport:
Subway: F to Delancey St; J, Z, M to Delancey–Essex Sts
Event
website: www.jttnyc.com
0 Comments