Anya Gallaccio "Blessed"    Sep 13 - Oct 20, 2001

Lehmann Maupin would like to announce an exhibition of the work of Anya Gallaccio. Although Gallaccio has exhibited internationally in numerous solo and group exhibitions, this will be her first one- person exhibition in New York.

Anya Gallaccio, who lives and works in London, creates site-specific installations, often using organic materials as her medium. Past projects have included arranging a ton of oranges on a floor, placing a thirty-two ton block of ice in a boiler room, and painting a wall with chocolate. The nature of these materials results in natural processes of transformation and decay, often with unpredictable results. This leads to an experimental and transient quality, which adds to the beauty of her installations. Gallaccio's work engages the viewer not only visually, but also through smell and through memory, which is an important aspect of the work as there is often no physical evidence left from the installations. Gallaccio has stated, "I see my works as being a performance and a collaboration... There is an unpredictability in the materials and collaborations I get involved in. Making a piece of work becomes about chance - not just imposing will on something, but acknowledging its inherent qualities."

Gallaccio's materials are not always so ephemeral. For her show at Lehmann Maupin, Gallaccio directly confronts the issue of impermanence by creating organic objects in permanent form, including a life-size bronze tree covered with red ceramic apples and a group of bronze potatoes. The exhibition will be on view from 13 September through 20 October 2001.

For more information, please contact Juliet Gray at 212 965 0753 or lmgallery@earthlink.net