Dawn Chorus

by Kevin Beasley

Artist Kevin Beasley (USA, född 1985)

Date2023

MediumPolyurethane resin, raw Virginia cotton, Sharpie transfer

DimensionsYttermått: 99,4 × 151,8 × 6,3 cm

ClassificationPaintings, Sculptures

Credit LinePurchase 2023 funded by The Gerard Bonnier Foundation

Countries

United States

On view

Stockholm

RoomCorridor floor 4

Object NumberMOM/2023/57

CollectionsThe Gerard Bonnier Collection, Recent Acquisitions

About the artworkTo create Dawn Chorus, Kevin Beasley (b. 1985, USA) arranged cotton balls within a metal frame before pouring resin in different colors over them ‒ thus painting with these materials. Cotton evokes the impact of the transatlantic slave trade and the centuries-long exploitation of enslaved people on cotton plantations, particularly in the American South. After the resin dried, the shape of the “landscape” unfolded, allowing Beasley to then draw with a permanent marker on the solidified surface. The result is a vista told through the emotional and cultural layers of this raw material. By exploring both the topographic and historical transformation of the land during slavery, as well as the artistic foundations of American landscape painting, Beasley reinvents this art historical genre.
Signatures, inscriptions and marks Osignerad Selected exhibition history Sju rum och en trädgård. Rashid Johnson och Moderna Museets samling (den 28 september 2023 - den 22 september 2024) Moderna Museet, Stockholm

Works by the artist