Lauren Halsey, Creator of Met Rooftop Show, Joins Gagosian

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Gagosian has announced representation of Los Angeles artist and activist Lauren Halsey.

‘I thought how exciting it could be to partner with another gallery to expand my context to different audiences, platforms and voices... places I haven’t even travelled to,’ Halsey told The New York Times.

Halsey produces artworks and installations using materials including gypsum and glass fibre–reinforced concrete. Her Afro-futurist aesthetic incorporates signs and symbols of her native South Central L.A.

Her commission for The Metropolitan Museum of Art‘s Iris and B. Gerald Cantor Roof Garden—titled the eastside of south central los angeles hieroglyph prototype architecture (I)—was a recreation of the Met’s Roman-Egyptian Temple of Dendur.

The 22-metre tall structure, which was adorned with hieroglyphs and Sphinx figures referencing the people and culture of contemporary South Central L.A., was revealed in April and remained on display until 22 October.

‘I can’t think of anything on the roof that’s impressed me more,’ said Gagosian’s Director, Larry Gagosian.

Halsey’s first solo show with Gagosian, who now represents the artist globally, will open in Europe in 2024. David Kordansky will continue to represent the artist in Los Angeles.

Halsey’s debut institutional solo show in the United Kingdom will open at London’s Serpentine South in October 2024.

In the same week as Gagosian’s announcement Ghanaian-American photo collagist Todd Gray joined international gallery Lehmann Maupin.

Earlier this month, mega-gallery Pace announced representation of Alicja Kwade, who undertook the Met rooftop commission in 2019. —[O]

Main image: Lauren Halsey. Courtesy of artist, David Kordansky Gallery and Gagosian. Photo: Russell Hamilton.