Stephen Friedman Gallery

Stephen Friedman Gallery is pleased to present its first solo exhibition by British artist Sarah Ball. Demonstrating an acute sensitivity to the psyche of her subjects, Ball’s enigmatic portraits explore the way we project images of ourselves to the world. The show is accompanied by a new monograph that spans the last five years of the artist’s practice, featuring essays by Flavia Frigeri (curator, National Portrait Gallery, London) and Philomena Epps (writer).

Stephen Friedman Gallery is pleased to present its first solo exhibition with British artist Holly Hendry. Exploring the idiosyncrasies of the human body, Hendry’s sculptures and installations take formal inspiration from machinery and diagrammatic depictions of anatomy. Expanded casting methods are central to the artist’s process in which she uses an array of materials like steel, Jesmonite, silicone, ash, charcoal, lipstick, chewed gum, soap, foam, marble and grit. Her new work challenges our perception of the neat distinction between our physical bodies, emotions and mechanisation.

In his first collaboration with a major UK gallery, American artist Kehinde Wiley explores the artistic conventions and canons of the Western landscape tradition – mountainous, coastal, sublime, Romantic and transcendental – through the mediums of film and painting.

Kehinde Wiley will discuss his new exhibition at the National Gallery as part of the 'Friday Lates' series.

Tate Britain presents a landmark group exhibition spanning an ocean and half a century. This exhibition explores work by artists from the Caribbean who made their home in Britain, alongside other British artists who have also made work addressing Caribbean themes and heritage.

Stephen Friedman Gallery is delighted to announce representation of Japanese artist Izumi Kato.

Kato lives and works between Tokyo and Hong Kong. He was born in 1969 in the Shimane prefecture of Japan, a sparsely populated province bordered by mountain and sea which houses Izumo Ōyashiro, one of the oldest and most significant shrines in Shintoism.

Stephen Friedman Gallery is pleased to present David Shrigley’s eighth solo exhibition at the gallery, marking a long and fruitful collaboration spanning over two decades.

Kunstmuseum Liechtenstein presents the first comprehensive solo exhibition in the German-speaking world by Brazilian artist Rivane Neuenschwander. ‘knife does not cut fire’ includes approximately fifty works and showcases Neuenschwander’s diverse oeuvre with emphasis on her most recent production. 

This monograph was published on the occasion of Leilah Babirye’s solo exhibitions at Gordon Robichaux in 2020 and Stephen Friedman Gallery in 2021.

Prospect New Orleans is a citywide contemporary art triennial and the only exhibition of its kind in the US with a decade-long history. 'Yesterday we said tomorrow', curated by Artistic Directors Naima J. Keith and Diana Nawi, is the triennial's fifth iteration. 

'Histórias da sexualidade (Stories of sexuality)', brings together more than 300 works by 130 artists, organised into nine thematic categories: Nude Bodies, Totemism, Religion, Gender Performativity, Sex Games, Sex Markets, Languages, Voyeurisms, and Body Politics.

The Royal Academy of Art’s Summer Exhibition continues in 2021, with coordinator Yinka Shonibare CBE RA celebrating the joy of creating art through the theme of ‘Reclaiming Magic’.

In 'Stand By You', Japanese artist Izumi Kato invites viewers into his uncanny world, populated by spectral figures that inhabit the liminal space between the physical realm and the territory of spirits. These creatures, with bulbous heads and slim, graceful bodies, recall the anatomy of embryos, children, or alien forms. At once charming, haunting, and humorous, they tower over viewers or hide discreetly in corners — solitary beings brought together in communion through careful and considered placement within the gallery.

‘Mixing It Up’ brings together 31 contemporary painters, spanning three generations of artists who live and work in the UK. The exhibition celebrates paintings that bring together diverse images and ideas, highlighting the UK’s emergence as a vital international centre of contemporary painting whilst reflecting the international character of the painting scene in this country.

Tau Lewis’ solo exhibition ‘Symphony’ is presented as part of the National Gallery of Canada’s Contemporary Projects series. ‘Symphony’ is the first work by Lewis to become part of the national collection, and is also the Toronto-born, Brooklyn-based artist’s inaugural presentation at the National Gallery of Canada.

Kehinde Wiley and Amy Sherald’s acclaimed and historically important portraits of President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama go on display in association with Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery, Washington, D.C.

Stephen Friedman Gallery is pleased to present Leilah Babirye’s first solo exhibition in the UK and Europe in June 2021, following the announcement of her representation in April 2020. 

Stephen Friedman Gallery is pleased to present British-Nigerian artist Yinka Shonibare CBE RA’s seventh solo exhibition at the gallery, titled ‘African Spirits of Modernism’. Opening on 4 June 2021, the exhibition comprises quilts, sculptures and a series of African masks that engage with the artist’s own identity as a ‘post-colonial hybrid’. The works are accompanied by archival material that captures the burgeoning interest in African art in Paris in the 1920s.

'I'm' at The Contemporary, Austin is the first institutional solo exhibition in Texas by Austin-based artist Deborah Roberts. To coincide with the exhibition, the artist has also created a new figurative mural on the exterior of the Jones Center building. 

A new sculpture from international artist Yinka Shonibare CBE RA, has been commissioned by the David Oluwale Memorial Association [DOMA] to honour the life of the British Nigerian and Leeds resident whose personal story inspired local people to create a lasting legacy to mark his life. The sculpture will be unveiled as part of Leeds 2023, the city’s landmark year of culture.

Celebrating its 75th anniversary year, the Arts Council Collection presents ‘Right About Now’ an exhibition featuring highlights from its recent contemporary art acquisitions, including a number of works presented publicly for the first time.

Jeffrey Gibson speaks to Anne Ellegood, Director, ICA LA, about key moments in his career and upcoming projects.  

For Art Basel Miami Beach 2021, Stephen Friedman Gallery brings together works by key artists from its programme in a presentation that includes painting, sculpture, textile and drawing. Featuring Marina Adams, Melvin Edwards, Tom Friedman, Wayne Gonzales, Jim Hodges and Deborah Roberts (American); Mamma Andersson (Swedish); Leilah Babirye (Ugandan), Yinka Shonibare CBE RA (British-Nigerian), Denzil Forrester (British-Grenadian), Jonathan Baldock, Sarah Ball, Holly Hendry and David Shrigley (British); Jeffrey Gibson (Choctaw-Cherokee); Juan Araujo (Venezuelan); Tonico Lemos Auad and Luiz Zerbini (Brazilian).

Presenting a broad showcase of the most recent acquisitions at the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art, 'New Arrivals' includes 'Head nods and handshakes', 2019 by Deborah Roberts.

'Sarah Maldoror: Tricontinental Cinema' is the first exhibition dedicated to the work of French filmmaker, Sarah Maldoror (1929-2020). The exhibition focusses on the artist's cinematographic work and her involvement with theatre, poetry and politics.