Presented September 16, 2017 at Nasher Sculpture Center
Working within the artistic practice of bricolage-creating from whatever materials are at hand-Tom Sachs has made universes of objects from Con Edison barriers, plywood, Tyvek, and common hardware that highlight the creativity, dedication, and commitment of cultural phenomena such as McDonald’s , James Brown , and the NASA space program.
Initially organized by the Noguchi Museum in New York, Tom Sachs: Tea Ceremony exhibition centers on an immersive environment representing Sachs’ distinctive reworking of chanoyu, the traditional Japanese tea ceremony-including the myriad elements essential to that intensely ritualistic universe. Sachs has also produced a complete alternative material culture of Tea-from bowls and ladles, scroll paintings and vases, to a motorized tea whisk, a shot clock, and an electronic brazier. During the course of the exhibition, the Nasher will present a series of public demonstrations in which special collaborators trained by the artist will perform tea ceremony for a few guests. The walls of the tea house will be removed for the occasion, enabling visitors to watch the ceremony as it unfolds.
Tom Sachs was born in New York in 1966. After studying at the Architectural Association in London in 1987, he received a B.A. from Bennington College, VT in 1989. His work has been included in many exhibitions in the U.S. and abroad, and has been collected by the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, the Museum of Modern Art,?? the Whitney Museum of American Art, the Centre Georges Pompidou, San Francisco MOMA, and the Astrup Fearnley Museet for Moderne Kunst, Oslo. Major solo exhibitions include SITE Santa Fe (1999), the Bohen Foundation, New York (2002), Deutsche Guggenheim, Berlin (2003), Astrup Fearnley Museet for Moderne Kunst, Oslo, and Fondazione Prada, Milan (2006), Gagosian Gallery, Los Angeles (2007), Lever House, New York (2008), Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum, Ridgefield, CT (2009), Park Avenue Armory, New York (2012), The Noguchi Museum, New York (2016), Brooklyn Museum, New York (2016), Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, San Francisco (2016). Sachs lives and works in New York. Sachs has had solo exhibitions at Sperone Westwater in 2004, 2008, and 2011. Concurrent with his exhibition at the Nasher Sculpture Center, Sperone Westwater in New York will present an exhibition of sculptures by Sachs called Objects of Devotion-the artist’s interpretation on the wunderkammern, or cabinets of curiosities-on view from September 5 through October 28, 2017.
The Nasher Sculpture Center’s ongoing 360 Speaker Series features conversations and lectures on the ever-expanding definition of sculpture. Guests are invited to witness first-hand accounts of the inspiration behind some of the world’s most innovative artwork, architecture and design.
Find out more about the 360 Speaker Series and view presentation by past speakers at www.nashersculpturecenter.org/360
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Presenting Sponsor of 360: Martha and Max Wells.
The 360 videography project is supported by Suzanne and Ansel Aberly: this support enables digital recording of all 360 Speaker Series programs and the creation of an online archive for learners of all ages.
Additional support for 360 Speaker Series provided by Sylvia Hougland and gifts given in her memory.
Tom Sachs: Tea Ceremony is made possible with the generous support of the Dallas Art Fair Foundation. Additional support is provided by Amy and John Phelan, Baldwin Gallery, Aspen, CO and Angela Westwater, Sperone Westwater.