Paul Chan, an artist, writer, and publisher, just debuted a collection of his works at the Walker Art Center. Chan rose to fame in the early 2000s for his colorful moving picture pieces that explored subjects like politics, war, religion, and pleasure. Chan made the decision to step away from the art world and concentrate on experimental publishing a few years ago.
The “Paul Chan: Breathers” exhibition will include the artist’s most recent creations. About 40 items will be included, including a brand-new installation created specifically for the Walker. The Walker will host the exhibition from July 16, 2023, through July 16, 2024. After that, it will visit the Contemporary Art Museum in St. Louis and the Institute for Contemporary Art at VCU.
Breathers relates the tale of how Badlands Unlimited, a publisher of creative works, has affected Paul Chan’s latest artwork. Books, e-books, zines, posters, and other items fall under this category. In order to challenge conventional publishing, Badlands Unlimited was founded in 2010 and has since experimented with language, design, and networking. Breathers explains how Chan’s art has been affected by Badlands Unlimited and demonstrates how his artistic philosophy has evolved.
According to Chan, she took a hiatus from her work in 2009 to consider what painting actually meant to her. She later discovered that her new work, a form of breath-animated dance, was giving her fresh perspectives on movement and the moving image.
This exhibit demonstrates how Paul continuously pushes the boundaries of activism, publication, and our understanding of the moving picture medium. The exhibition and catalogue, which together demonstrate how Paul’s practice has changed over the past ten years, are being presented with great excitement.
A catalogue for the exhibition was produced jointly with the artist and has writing from Pavel S. Py, Vic Brooks, and Paul Chan. With further assistance from Matthew Villar Miranda, curator of visual arts, the exhibition is organized by Py.
