Andrew Kreps Gallery is pleased to announce Hex, an exhibition of new paintings by Henry Shum at 55 Walker.
Henry Shum's work mirrors the experience of contemporary daily life, and the constant mediation of various streams of imagery and information. In his paintings, Shum distills disparate references culled from physical and digital sources, as well as his own imagination into psychologically-charged compositions. Dynamic spatial effects emerge from thin veils of paint, as architectural space collides with natural forms and abstract geometry. Achieved through a chemical manipulation of oil paint, rich areas of saturated pigment sit against faint washes, creating forms that hover between the real and imagined. This interplay between opacity and transparency extends to the works' subjects. While Shum employs a highly personal language, he manoeuvres through collective, and individual experiences, building emotive resonance through lurid and atmospheric colour. Throughout, Shum positions his work within a liminal space where memory, and history can flow freely to shape a distinct view of the present.
Hex is Henry Shum's (b.1998, Hong Kong) first solo exhibition in the United States. Shum lives and works in Hong Kong, and received his BA from Chelsea College of Arts, London, in 2020. Empty Gallery, Hong Kong presented Shum's first solo exhibition in 2020.
Andrew Kreps Gallery is pleased to announce the representation of Henry Shum (b. 1998, Hong Kong) in collaboration with Empty Gallery, Hong Kong. The gallery will present Shum's first solo exhibition in North America in Fall 2022. In his paintings, Shum attempts to navigate the liminal space where memory and image flow into and through one another. Collecting images he encounters in both physical and digital spaces, Shum develops thematic connections across disparate material, filtering his sources through an affective mesh of undulating lines, and thin veils of paint. Two-dimensional and three-dimensional space often appear to fold in on each other, suggesting the existence of multiple planes, or virtualities within a single work. This suggestion is not a reflection of Shum's own desires, but instead reflects a reality specific to our times - the ceaseless maneuvering between the collective and the individual, the historical and the ahistorical. Melding these elements within singular compositions, Shum mirrors the contemporary experience of daily life, a continuous barrage of information within an endlessly mediated present. Henry Shum lives and works in Hong Kong, and received his BA from Chelsea College of Arts, London, in 2020. Empty Gallery, Hong Kong presented Shum's first solo exhibition in 2020.
Andrew Kreps Gallery was founded in New York in 1996. Widening its original focus on emerging American artists, the program shortly thereafter expanded to include international artists, many of whom had their first exhibitions in the United States or New York at the gallery. After nearly 20 years of operation in Chelsea, the gallery announced it's relocation to Tribeca, at 22 Cortlandt Alley, which opened in September 2019. The gallery additionally programs 55 Walker Street, a space jointly operated with Bortolami and kaufmann repetto. The gallery represents the work of 30 internationally active artists. Recent additions to the gallery’s roster include He Xiangyu, Camille Blatrix, the estate of Corita Kent and the work of Bruno Munari.
