Hannah Wilke

Hannah Wilke‘s solo show at Alison Jacques Gallery spans three decades of the career of the American painter, sculptor, photographer, video and performance artist, known for her pioneering and controversial artistic practice, from the themes investigated to the choice of unconventional materials such as terracotta and ceramic, latex, chewing gum and erasers.

The exhibition collects works from the early 1960s through to 1987, including also, for the first time on display, her paintings on canvas from the 60s. Others lesser-known works on paper are shown alongside Wilke’s performance photographs, such as “Gestures (Triptych)”, (1974 – 76) in which the artist stretches and contorts her face directly at the camera, using her skin as a malleable sculptural medium. Central to the exhibition is also the artist’s largest installation “Untitled”(1974-77) consisting of 103 painted flesh-coloured terracotta sculptures.