ARTISTS
Nathan Mabry
Thing Thang
2004
Bone china
42 x 162 x 5 inches / 106.68 x 411.48 x 12.7 cm
Provenance
Acquired directly from the artist by APT
About the Artwork
Created in 2004, Thing Thang combines the simplicity of minimalism with the use of words as the primary component of the artwork, a practice that became a hallmark of conceptual art in the 1960s. The wall of the gallery is used here as a blank page upon which each ‘written’ character is comprised of bones made of white bone china. A student of ceramics at the Kansas City Art Institute, the use of this medium is critical across Mabry’s oeuvre. As a result, the conceptual approach that characterizes his practice often provides a striking contrast between modern aesthetics and the use of ancient materials. In this way, the artist injects a dose of permanence into the hectic realm of contemporary art. As Mabry explains: “The materials I typically work with—plastic, bronze, ceramics—are exactly the things that will survive us.”
About the Artist
Nathan Mabry received his BFA from the Kansas City Art Institute in 2001 and his MFA from the University of California, Los Angeles in 2004. Mabry’s work has been the focus of important solo exhibitions, including Nathan Mabry, PROCESS ART (B-E-A-G-G-R-E-S-S-I-V-E), SCAD Museum of Art, Savannah (2014); Sightings: Nathan Mabry, Nasher Sculpture Center, Dallas (2013). His work has also been included in group exhibitions at The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas City (2016); Museum of Contemporary Art, Denver (2015); Saatchi Gallery, London (2013); Rubell Family Collection, Miami (2011); Vanhaerents Art Collection, Brussels (2011); Parrish Art Museum, Southampton (2010); 176 /Zabludowicz Collection, London (2010); Hammer Museum, Los Angeles (2009). Mabry’s work is in the permanent collections of numerous institutions including Dallas Museum of Art; Whitney Museum of American Art, New York; Los Angeles County Museum of Art; Hammer Museum, Los Angeles; and Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego, La Jolla.
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