Wave Hill Exhibition Catalogue Alchemy and Inquiry

8/6/2019 Wave Hill Exhibition Catalogue Alchemy and Inquiry

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alchemy & I nqu I r y PhIlIP taaffe, fred tomaSellI, terry WInterS

WAVE HILL GLYNDOR GALLERY



a l c h e m y & I n q u I r y PhIlIP taaffe, fred tomaSellI, terry WInterS



alchemy & InquIry PhIlIP taaffe, fred tomaSellI, terry WInterS

eSSay by Peter lambo rn WIlSon

ORGANIZED BY RAYMOND FOYE AND JENNIFER MCGREGOR

APRIL 3– JUNE 19, 2011

WAVE H ILL675 WEST 252ND STREET BRONX, NY 10471-2899

718.549.3200 WWW.WAVEHILL.ORG

Philip Taaffe, Sea Vent I , 2011Mixed media on canvas mounted on panel, 40 3/4 x 30 7/8 inches

2



Fred Tomaselli, Bloom #1, 2011

Gouache on photogram, 14 x 11 inches

54

IntroductIon

Alchemy & Inquiry ss ss si

isv is wk Piip t, f tsi,

t Wis, sis i i g wii

xpi . f s iss, kig ivvs i-

si i is, si, , wi ispii

gig i isis iig fi gis

px w s. e s vp iivi

pp iizig ivs ss wi ski

ssizig vis, , i, siifi is. tis

sig, ig, ig s wk is igi,

ispi, ifli. t wks viw ivi x p kig; g i sig xiii,

pis si xpi.

t xs, s, ss g w

pi is xiii. t iiiv j piis

s wkig g g is g

s G G. e is pis

pss isi xpi, js s g Wv

hi s isi s ssis. I n G,

Piip t’s piigs s isis wi Wi G-, ss piii psi is

ig si i is i

ivig g. I , xpi

sig i f tsi’s piigs wks

pp—wi i i psss i- -

gs v svs p ssi viwig—is ki



7

sig fw G i J, kig i

p iivi p . t Wis’

px s wigs piigs, wi i

-ik figs ig i , s iis wi

si--si h, d, api Gs. t g s is, pi i sss, pvi

wk gw ps s ss wi s

w ps v.

t w “” i xiii i s s-

i vs: i, gi, spii.

civ pws s s s

psi pi i sss g v. I

is iiig ss, P l Wis xis

i hiis ( i spii, pisp-

i, gi ii ks is Gk

g hs egpi g t) is wk

Wis, tsi t. I s ss-

pspiv gig p-is ps, Wis

ks s iss, ig, sppss

pi s si g siiss iss ik.

Wi pis isigs pfig ip is-

vis i ig, is, psis, ikwissi is si ps pis, svig

s g psi isi ii spii.

I i ws is ki spiiiz si i w

isiis g s sjs isipis w ss

igi w.

Wv hi b m Ki mi, w s pis

ks pis wi iss, ivi ip

6

Terry Winters Pollen, 2011

Suite of nine relief prints with embossment, 18 x 14 inches



98

r f s s s piig x-

iii Propagating Eden: Uses and Techniques of Nature Printing in

Botany and Art . W ii g isss w wk

t, tsi, Wis is s w si Wv hi

G G. f ig ispii gs ips is xiii. o i

iss visi g viw gs xi-

ii sp; p s i ps wks

iss, s g p is ji xiii.

W x g ppii Piip t, f

tsi, t Wis ig g -

sp ig s w piigs, pis, wigs.

tks s spiv Ggsi G, Js

c G, mw mks G, w ps

iss v ii is xiii. tk

a Sw vig vsi is sw Js

c G Sgi is . dp gi -

s r f is visi iig, Ki mi

ispii t G Pss sig

is g. h ks Wv hi b ex-

iv di ci b sig s

vi p Wv hi xpi. fi, ppiiis -wkig gs w k Wv hi

s i is, pi i

Gi Gz Spi liis, w ig j

ivi v kig.

— JennIfer mcGreGor

WAVE HILL SENIOR CURATOR

Philip Taaffe, Cereus Chrysocentrus , 2011

Mixed media on canvas mounted on panel, 53 1/2 x 59 inches



1110

maGI-ISm by Peter lamborn WIlSon

I.

W hen, In the early 1950s, i ci c, cs

os iv fis s postmodern, i

w Psis w : xsi

ig, flig iis, si vii i

p pisgis. os p igi i-

gis hig mis wi is isizi pgss

i i, w v p

sig ik iis 1960s, wi is psis

spiii . a i sixis— i s— pis ri pj jig m

, wi s i v si

vivifii g- vs— “evsig Gsp,” s

bk i— e av-G—si

pii i, s svs.

Sw s i ps-

is pp, wi viw i vs s

s psiflg p iis

sixis wi ivis wiw i spii iz 1980s si sps

’s fii si sss. t sss w w

s s is s ifi ig xp ip

cpi, js s a W s gi . t

csss ws w ... ws sss. a

i av-G.

Fred Tomaselli, Dahlia , 2011

Photo collage, acrylic, resin on wood panel, 48 x 48 inches



1312

I is sp i pp ipssi ii

ri telos sixis, wi is vi s iv

spiiiis ppssiv igis. hwv i ws

, g, iss w w is si. f

Wssi Kisk’s On the Spiritual in Art , Sis’sisv , as expssiis’s p ivv-

i siis, i ws’ iss w i

e v-g, i ws iss iis

w g is is. Si, v ss-

ss Ps uivsis (“wv”) p

pssiii some iss w s ivsig

s vsig ri v s

s ps s ig, i w ii

, i ’ pp s

gis P cpi is ii pgiss. I ws,

w os’s i w w is “ps

”, not i iiiss.

ts iss w isv w “ ” (i

ri’s ps), w spii wi pig

psi kis, w j sigifi wi

sifiig ps s si vsi

, s igisi nw Sv mi.S s iss— w I’ wig i

sjs—w Kisk’s pps ipi j:

g expssiis Sis as expssi-

is w si i wi “ipi”

psi ig w w p

ps i (s)sisss is viw ik. I

is , w suppress s

iiis s v i i gi i

ps ss is i. I spkig

t Wis, Piip t f tsi, wv,

g v ivk Kisk-ik Hermeticism

fi ki k. t w s ps-is s i sp i wi i isiis

Gi b’s P m is pi “s”

s s s s i s wi i

p-Sis is.

as g g isi c Ss (

Wsk, ny) pi , “s” nii

“piiiv” siis is i p wi si

psi ( v ggi/isi) . I

s devolve i wiig, i s pi i-

sip ig. Is pig s is

gi, wi w s ppi s, s, xi i

pi g wp sk—v i w v s

code.

I m dp W w fi

ps ii , dp s s s h-

iis pi; i ws p is i

sj. (W, i ig, ws spi ci si.)f dp is “sis jks” ( i )

s, s, Jsp c is xs h Si

is v hi i -s, is jzz piigs.

t s different iss s Wis, t tsi, v

is i , is s psi sssi i e

av-G. hiis—Pss, rsiis,

b—ivs s riis. nvis is



1514

-hiis, s is Wii bk. a hiis s is

i p s—I’ ik iv— secret v-g,

- si visi.

II.

It SeemS PoSSIble spk w Green Hermeticism

psss s visis wk pis. f

tsi spk Ps svs i

ag—i.., k w s ps i-

ig wi s vi i “i is” ig s

“g gs i g s.” Piip t’s wk,

si vgiv, vi pis -

pisp iss i iss “i” s

is w piigs.

I t Wis’ s wks piig i flws,

s G si is psis fl

pg g v “piizi si”

nvis i Disciples at Saïs, ivi

“ w ”: Novalis Green. ts i viis vg

xpssi s si t Wis’ ks sis

i sps gss—wvs ig, “fis

g s g” gs n s. ts flws i wi t, s i is sp si

ig. t s is deeply familiar. h,

is -s, w i Igii. I hi

s— egg cs.

Wis ps ig k i kig

iig is w is, iig pigs, is,

sis, wxs vis sis. ts igis s

Terry Winters, Hexagram / 3 , 2011

Graphite, gouache, acrylic, ink on paper, 22 3/ 8 x 30 inches



1716

k i w i s w s si s. as wi

iss/iss ps (s s Pigii dss

dssi), Wis vs i i ig s s

is sip isv i s. W is

w? Sii wi sis, s, p pgis,ss, pps ws vi sis

v is.

I was taken with the architecture of natural forms. My approach

wasn’t representational; it was both abstract and structural. I

was developing a way of working, where abstraction becomes

a strategy —“to imitate nature in her manner of operation”—

that’s John Cage quoting Coomaraswamy. I wanted abstract im-

ages that had the specificity of real things. It was my interest inrealism that led me to Gilles Deleuze. He was able to construct

a believable model; a logical genesis of form, which described

virtual, even spiritual entities. Painting is one way to visualize

those other possible states.

— TERRY WINTERS1

f Wis, si s k s

vi igis–igis v s i v

is cs cpxi t “

pssi ss” Piig. f i n is fl

p piips wi w is s.

o

If PSychedelIc art had k

is i, s i is n cii, is

Terry Winters, Hexagram / 1, 2010

Graphite, gouache, acrylic, ink on paper, 22 1/8 x 29 3/4 inches



19

Fred Tomaselli, Coldframe , 2011

Leaves, acrylic, resin on wood panel, 30 x 24 inches

18

i 1968 Sgi-l iv visi si

w sv is, w xp i v

i psi v evolved, fi

ifi, ii i s

v gis i ii. I , ’xp sig ik pi f tsi.

I 1968, I ws w- s s i

of gi—ws siis j

Vi W, w Ii, . I sixis

i, i s i j s. V s-b-

ss ps-oiisi i ws. b tsi, i

i sixis , is ik fi h w s i s

v i i pis w

v fiv s i piss i s all

called Homer. tsi is our s, our ai,

lSd gi’s s-is, s w sig s,

ws, how much has gone down, s ws ( gi)

si. Ss a, Kws a— is .

[My] work was initially inspired by the pre-modern ideal that

painting is a window to another reality, a vehicle of transportation

to the sublime and the transcendent. The rhetoric of psychedelia

and various strains of alternative culture happen to posit similar

values, and the parallels between the two worlds intrigue me:

escapism, altered consciousness, pleasure, beauty, desire and

seduction, as well as the consumption of fetishistic commodities

dependent upon surplus wealth and leisure time.

— Fred Tomaselli 2



20 21

ig. Igi: is s iis, iig

i ps vg sis, forbidden bi

ug Spii, mi Pi.

oI entered w Piip t vi is wk wi

pp; i wiig sj i, I ws -

vi s ig is isi hi ,

iv vi tkis Sfis cis tis, i wi

is “ivi” dowse ss sig si

t, v iv flx printed on

water. t ’s ii i ep ws w

rsiis G I. mwi, I sw Piip

t kig iggs s i igs i

w is . Natura naturans, ig, p-

vis yin ss ig— yang is ppi

is, i vig “sig ” is w s

iig i pp, subliming i s fixing i ik

fl pi .

ci iss is wi ssi v wig

w i wks (fis b, pps). b

g iss ps, s i ’ s wi

s w-g g xpi. o is at

home i i wk, w far out i gs, s is

ii iifii, is “ivisi g i”

(s P bk i) w is viw, ss

s i. This ws pppi s i

ss g . I’s w. Piip

My love of nature has been a big part of my life since I first dis-

covered that it wasn’t a cultural fabrication. This is going to

sound strange, but I didn’t find this out until I was a teenager

while hiking with some friends. We eventually came across a

waterfall and I promptly began searching for the conduit that

made it run. It blew my mind that it ran without power or plumb-

ing! I found out that nature was real and not just a construct. As

a result, I slowly morphed into an amateur naturalist and casual

birder and began collecting a library of various field guides. I

guess it was only a matter of time before they found their way

into the work.

— Fred Tomaselli 3

ci x- sps s

iv xpi sig

i. a visi ap ci w kw

tsi’s piigs i real pis, j vs,

sp pis, wv— real illegal drugs. b w igs

i si is wi pvi w ikig

tsi’s wks. t w is piigs—i

fs v w k iss i—w , sip,

i. Is a crime, . tis s ig

tsi’s . b, , w i s, ’s s, p.

hw wig? W aura.

I p w , pi i-g siss

piss, gi si g ss ssi vi

gi gs vis (ig) iws, w

tsi’s piigs s vi. t pi is i

gs not is w s k



2322

t’s orientalismo, xp, ivs is ps

s s visi, pis s

pppii igi es s p

is v p p .

n: I orientalismo ki i viw ess Ws ris es ris,

ss “xi” i psiiv w, v s

is, is i, i is i. tis

is “i gz,” i is “pppii,” s

w. I is (s J G p i) Pis lv.

tis v is p Sis’s mad love, s i is

ss ii i; is is ik

Si p ais i is pis Sfis Sis.

aig hi i is lv ai is

css is, spii fi

isigis i ivi

divine play . tis ii ws fi G nis

ri Si—G— i nvis. I ws

-fi Sis, i is isv

gi. I’s e av-G, si visi

bk’s “evsig Gsp.”

Essentially, everything in my work is about a process of descrip-

tion. My attitude towards repetition has to do with the cumulative

effect of continuous applications of line and color. If we focus on

that, and see them as crystallized into patterns or marks, what

do they add up to? They become some kind of actively struc-

tured field. I see that as being an entrance to a trance-like

state. I’m interested in inviting the possibility for ecstatic

Philip Taaffe, After Alcyonaria I , 2011

Mixed media on canvas mounted on panel, 30 7/8 x 40 3/4 inches



2524

experience, for getting outside of stasis. My roots are from

Ireland, and I suppose a subtext to my work must relate to these

Celtic shamanistic traditions. The work is also about movement,

or how we see in a constant series of glimpses. What do I want

my art to accomplish? What do I expect it to be like as a physical

encounter? I think the best thing one can hope for is to be able

to enter into another world.

— Philip Taaffe 4

III.

that “other World” t s w s

Mundus Imaginalis, ig pisp h ci,

w aps, civ Igii. nig

g sii iss

s— w s, p ifl hiis— w i

i sig ik “nw hiiss”?

nws, s iss wis s “v-g”

s g v s—

hiis is, i, “” v-g, vs-

ig i v gis ppssi

spii. Pss ks p s Igii,

p Sfi ss, psss i n-

pisps, ps pis riis, w pss i Siss, Psiis —

pis. I “ w” is ws ig (

e) v w ig is of si. t swiig

s pp n-isi pg ks,

pggi pig ifl vis phantas-

tica—s igs ssss gig —

s ig is.

Philip Taaffe, Aspidium, Aspenium, Pteris , 2011

Oil pigment on canvas, 39 x 63 1/2 inches



2726

a iss v i , i s,

sssi wi ig—wi gw s

ps i . I ii G, s iss

sv si. t poeticize science,

nvis gi.lik gi, spiii not

wi giz igis i gi pxis,

wi nw ag vpiiis, wi sis, ivs pi-

i spiii gs i i

iivi, s spk, js piss kigs. Wi

is pre-modern gs (s tsi p i) ss s

i gi k pp. Pgis

is isiz i fii. a is

isipi iks si s — ssi

si (g ps ),

g, nw a—wi i -

ig is igs iii.

t s iss ig k s

hiiss— d. d ew K m

h vis wisss S cii—is is ss

isig nw hi Pig,

ig s t c. t nw a

gi sks i is s, s s-

i xpi spii at-oned—“s v,

s w”— Emerald Tablet of Hermes Trismegistus.

o

noteS

1. t Wis, pis iviw wi , d 12, 2007

2. f tsi, “m ci Si,” pi i Monsters of Paradise (e-

ig: fik G, 2004), p. 43

3. I b, “Kwig nig: a dig wi f tsi” i ftsi (mi: Ps, 2009), p. 57

4. Piip t, Iviw wi hi S, The Aspen Times, ags 1,

1999, 11-b

Peter lamborn WIlSon is is, p s

Sfis Ws hiis, w-kw i-

is si ik. h is Green Hermeticism:

Alchemy and Ecology wi cisp b Kvi tw-

, Sacred Drift: Essays on the Margins of Islam, Escape

from the Nineteenth Century. h i Avant Gardening: Ecological

Struggle in the City & the World wi bi Wig. I s

s i s sss wk Piip t t Wis g s gs i

ui Ss ep. his s k ps is

Ec(o)logues: A Neo-Pastoralist Manifesto.



2928

PHILIP TAAFFE

b 1955, eiz, nJ

livs wks i nw yk, ny

Wi kig is s ivs ss Piip

t gizs wk g ispii w

i, pg is. t s

xp is s ivs s pp ig, -

i, i, g ig. his i isi

s v i Wii bgs, P

bws, m m, S bkg. n

piig is pps s si

xp is piigs pis. t s p- iip i ii xiiis sv s,

iig cgi Ii (1991), bi

S (1996) bii exiiis, Wi

ms ai a, nw yk (1987, 1991, 1995),

wi iivi sv xiiis IVam, Vi

(2000), Gi 'a m, S mi (2004),

Kss Wsg (2008). his wk is i i

s pi is, iig t ms

m a, nw yk; Pipi ms a;

t Wi ms ai a, nw yk;

S r. Gggi ms, nw yk; S

fis ms a, ms ni ri Sfi,

mi. Anima Mundi , - sv is wk

(2000–2010) s giz Iis ms

m a i di (m 22–J 12, 2011). h si

cp ui, nw yk, ny.

Philip Taaffe, Composition with Ornamental Fragments IV , 2011

Mixed media on board, 36 x 24 inches



3130

FRED TOMASELLI

b 1956, S mi, ca

livs wks i bk, ny

a pi is i pp is

is f tsi’s pp, s s is gg

wi w i g gig, kkig,

i-wig. lvs is w g fis

i psii Coldframe. his i-

sv p asp a ms i asp, co

(2009), v tg ms Ski

cg i Sg, ny, bk ms a

i bk, ny (2010). his wk s i i sxiiis Wi c, l, Js c

G, nw yk. Fred Tomaselli: Monsters of Paradise igi-

t fik G, eig, S

(2004) v ds ai, S, Spi;

Iis ms m a, di; t rs a

ms bis uivsi, W, ma (2005). his

wk s i i s gp xiiis s

s 17 bi S, asi (2010); 2004 bii

exiii, Wi ms ai a, nw yk;

The Heavenly Tree Grows Downward: Selected Works by Harry

Smith, Philip Taaffe and Fred Tomaselli , Js c G,

nw yk (2002). tsi is ba i Piig

dwig cii S uivsi, f, ca.

Fred Tomaselli The Dust Blows Forward, The Dust Blows Back , 2011

Photo collage, acrylic, resin on board, 24 x 24 inches



3332

TERRY WINTERS

b 1949, nw yk, ny

livs wks i nw yk, ci c, ny

n s s Wis giig wi wks

ispi J cg’s sis i g, gi ss-

s, ii . his sis i i,

iigs , i s pi-

igs is wk. tg is s xp

pis gig igi psss, siifi -

i fis, ii ii gis

i. h vs p i pss

i i is piigs, pis, wigs. Wis sxii xsiv, is wk is i i ip

is i ui Ss ep. h s sv

s xiiis mw mks G, s

swig is “K Gp” piigs i 2008. o s

xiiis w ps Jk Gi

b cp, h (2010); Iis ms m

a i di (2009); t mpi ms a i

nw yk (2001); Wip G i l

(1999). t sv xiii Terry Winters: Paintings,

Drawings, Prints 1994–2004 igi t ais

G ai a i av, ma, v

cp as ms hs, ms

cp a i S dig (2004). Wis iv

bfa P Isi, bk, ny.

Terry Winters, Wave Hill , 2011

Oil on paper mounted on composite board, 32 1/8 x 44 1/8 inches



PUBLISHED IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE EXHIBITION

al ch em y & I n q u I r y PhIlIP taaffe, fred tomaSellI, terry WInterS

APRIL 3– JUNE 19, 2011

WAVE HILL675 WEST 252ND STREET

BRONX, NY 10471-2899

TEL 718.549.3200

WWW.WAVEHILL.ORG

COVER: Terry Winters, Hexagram / 3 , 2011, (detail)

Graphite, gouache, acrylic, ink on paper 22 1/2 x 30 inches

PHILIP TAAFFE: COURTESEY OF GAGOSIAN GALLERY, NEW YORK

FRED TOMASELLI: COURTESY OF JAMES COHAN GALLERY, NEW YORK/ SHANGHAI

TERRY WINTERS: COURTESY OF MATTHEW MARKS GALLERY, NEW YORK

DESIGN: THE GRENFELL PRESS, NEW YORK

PHOTOGRAPHY:

P. 4, 10, 19, 30 ERMA ESTWICK

P. 6 TWO PALMS PRESS

P. 2, 8, 22, 25 JEAN VONG

P. 14, 17 RON AMSTUTZ

P. 28 TOM POWEL

P. 32 UNIVERSAL LIMITED ART EDITIONS

ALL WORKS ARE COPYRIGHT OF THE INDIVIDUAL ARTISTPUBLICATION COPYRIGHT 2011 WAVE HILL

ESSAY COPYRIGHT 2011 PETER LAMBORN WILSON

EDITION OF 3000

ISBN 978-0-9831098-1-5

ABOUT WAVE HILL

Wave Hill is a 28-acre public garden and cultural center in the Bronx over-

looking the Hudson River and Palisades. Its mission is to celebrate the artistry

and legacy of its gardens and landscapes, to preserve i ts magnficent views,

and to explore human connections to the natural world through programs in

horticulture, education and the arts.

SUPPORT FOR WAVE HILL’S VISUAL ARTS PROGRAM IS PROVIDED BY THE LILY

AUCHINCLOSS FOUNDATION, INC., MILTON & SALLY AVERY ARTS FOUNDATION, THE

GREENWALL FOUNDATION, AND THE NEW YORK STATE COUNCIL ON THE ARTS,

CELEBRATING 50 YEARS OF BUILDING STRONG, CREATIVE COMMUNITIES IN NEW

YORK STATE’S 62 COUNTIES.

TARGET FREE DAYS

TARGET SPONSORS FREE TUESDAY AND SATURDAY

MORNING ADMISSION TO WAVE HILL, PROVIDING

ACCESS TO THE ARTS IN OUR COMMUNITY.



Fred Tomaselli, Bloom #2 , 2011

Gouache on photogram, 14 x 11 inches

36



Wave Hill675 West 252nd Street

Bronx, NY 10471- 2899

718.549.3200 www.wavehill.org

Wave Hill Exhibition Catalogue Alchemy and Inquiry

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Transcript of Wave Hill Exhibition Catalogue Alchemy and Inquiry