P·P·O·W is pleased to present Portholes - an exhibition of new works by Adam Putnam. The exhibition will feature a series of approximately sixty unique silver gelatin photographs. Most of the works have been contact printed from large format negatives shot over the past decade. These enigmatic images hover between objects in Putnam’s studio, nature, and the figure, offering an otherworldly vision embedded in the everyday. Often these quiet moments seem to intrude on what, at first glance, appears to be an intensely mysterious and interior investigation. The works can be perceived as individual images, or as part of a larger work, where imagery fragments and repeats, echoing themes that Putnam has investigated throughout his work. Looking and then relooking becomes mandatory as memory itself comes into question.
For the last decade, Putnam’s practice has evolved out of live action as a means of investigating the intersection of our physical selves with the architectural spaces we inhabit. Through this process the boundary between interior and exterior space is blurred. Photography, drawing, sculpture, and video are all employed interchangeably, as the artist himself slowly dissolves and merges with the physical elements of space.
The exhibition will also feature a curated series of intimate events, including a poetry reading, a film screening, and a performances.
Adam Putnam (b. 1973) lives and works in New York. His work has been included in various exhibitions including at the Kunstverein Münich (2017), Grazer Kunstverein (2015), and a biennials including Whitney Biennial (2008), 2nd Moscow Biennial (2007), and Busan Biennial (2008), South Korea. It has also been exhibited at notable institutions including MoMA PS1, The Whitney Museum, and The Astrup Fearnley Museum, Oslo. His work is in the collection of the Perez Art Museum, Miami, FL, the Museum of Old and New Art, Tasmania, Australia and the Nasher Museum of Art, Durham, NC. Curatorial projects have included an exhibition of Martin Wong entitled Everything Must Go at P.P.O.W. and Blow Both of Us at Participant Inc.