Gesture & Form: Women in Abstraction

2024

Group exhibition presented by Almine Rech Gallery

Tia-Thuy Nguyen, In the blissful embrace (Trời mây vỗ về), 2023, embellishment on canvas, 150 x 100 cm

‘Gesture & Form: Women in Abstraction’ brings together twenty modern and contemporary artists working within the mode of abstraction. In recent years, greater efforts have been made to remediate the imbalanced presence of women artists in the story of abstract painting, and this exhibition engages in that change by celebrating the formidable contributions of these painting giants, past and present.

Following the Second World War, the center of the art world shifted away from Paris to New York, and alongside this geographical shift came the rise of the Abstract Expressionists. As this movement gained traction, pioneering artists featured in this exhibition drew attention with their paintings full of energetic flashes of color and their physically active means of placing paint to canvas.

Beyond exploring material, color and method, this group of artists has also taken inspiration from the world around them. […]  Tia-Thuy Nguyen draw on aspects of their personal identity to incorporate traditional art forms from their respective cultures.

‘Gesture & Form: Women in Abstraction’ encourages viewers to reconsider the legacy of these women and situates their innovations alongside generations of artists working across the globe. Now, at a time when figurative art is the trend, ‘Gesture & Form: Women in Abstraction’ highlights artists who are, at once, continuing to challenge norms while forging careers within a rich and vibrant tradition.

— Ferren Gipson, art historian, writer, and textile artist