Gerhard Richter and assume vivid astro focus
Altered States
August 7 – September 4
Press Release
Richard Levy Gallery is pleased to present Altered States, an exhibition of selected editions by Gerhard Richter and the artist collective assume vivid astro focus (avaf). This psychedelic summer show of abstract prints explodes with neon and prismatic colors.
Gerhard Richter is among the most important artists of the 20th century. He paints using unpredictable gestures and elements of chance, and in his seminal Flow paintings, he creates multicolored abstractions by pouring enamel paints on a glass surface.Three chromatographic photographs of the Flow painting series show the original compositions in various stages of completion.Although Richter refers to these editions as“facsimile objects,” they differ from the originals in a number of ways. Many represent the only version of paintings that no longer exist, and others are images of damaged work. Gerhard Richter’s work has been in major retrospectives at the Museum of Modern Art, New York, and the Tate Modern, London, as well as in countless exhibitions since 1962.
Assume vivid astro focus is a pseudonym for the internationally acclaimed artist collective whose main collaborators are Brazilian-born New York based artist Eli Sudbrack and French multimedia artist Christophe Hamaide-Pierson. Avaf works in a vast array of media including painting, drawing, installations, video, sculpture, neon, wallpapers, and collage using bright colors and references to the Brazilian Festival of Carnevale.Their stimulating aesthetic fuses Pop art, psychedelia, and densely patterned motifs that often comment on gender roles, politics, and cultural codes.The titles of these works, like most by avaf, are an acrostic play on the letters a, v, a and f. This combination of letters frequently appears as names of performances and installations.
Altered States includes five works on paper and a neon installation. Avaf has been the subject of major exhibitions and public art projects around the world including the National Museum of Art, Architecture and Design, Oslo; the Museum of Modern Art, New York; the Museum of Contemporary Art,Tokyo; and the 2004 Whitney Biennial, New York.
High-resolution images are available on request. Follow us on Instagram and Facebook: @levygallery
Dates: August 7–September 4, 2015
Reception: August 29, 6–8 pm
Hours: Tuesday–Saturday, 11 am–4 pm
Location: 514 Central Avenue SW, Albuquerque, NM 87102
Contact: 505.766.9888, info@levygallery.com, www.levygallery.com @levygallery