A new exhibition celebrates the radical power of text in art

Visual language — Visual Language looks at the effects of words in contemporary art; from Jenny Holzer and Guerrilla Girls to Dface and Ed Ruscha.

Crossing states in its realisation, Visual Language is a new bi-coastal exhibition that compels us to consider the function of words and their use in art – whether its to provoke, exclaim or manipulate.

Set against the backdrop of the current US political climate of ‘fake news’, the show presents pieces of distorted truths and multiple realities. It brings together an amalgamation of work from the likes of Guerilla Girls, Wayne White, Shepard Fairey, Jenny Holzer, Betty Tomkins, Dface, Ed Ruscha, Nathaniel Russell, Chad Kouri, Scott Albrecht, Ramsey Dau and Umar Rashid.

Often satirical, sometimes comical, and always provocative, the pieces displayed engage viewers in a dialogue about the influence of language. With the galleries curated so that the artists juxtapose or compliment one another’s ideas, we are left with a great appreciation for the value and weight of word within art.

Betty Tompkins

Jenny Holzer

“Though I don’t think that all art needs to be political, and not all of the art in Visual Language is political, I do think it is an important moment for artists who want to make political statements through their art to have a platform,” explains Shepard Fairey, one of the exhibition’s curators. “I chose artists based on a love of their work but also a respect for their vision.”

Co-curator Richard Scarry adds that the artists involved were chosen for their sharp recognition of the power and importance that word and image have when combined within the art world.

The exhibition will run simultaneously in L.A. and New York, opening at Subliminal Projects (1331 Sunset Blvd, Los Angeles. CA 90026) on September 8 and at FACTION Art Projects (2602 Frederick Douglass Blvd. New York City NY 10030) from September 13. Both shows will run through October 6, 2018.