Charles Gaines: 1992–2023
Photo Credit : Fredrik Nilsen
A new survey of acclaimed artist Charles Gaines opened at the Institute of Contemporary Art, Miami (ICA Miami) on November 16, 2023, tracing the evolution of the second half of his influential practice. Charles Gaines: 1992–2023 brings together for the first time more than 65 works from 1992 to the present day, including two monumental works, one of which the artist is recreating for the first time in nearly two decades. Curated by Gean Moreno, ICA Miami’s Director of the Knight Foundation Art + Research Center, the exhibition is on view at ICA Miami until Mar 17, 2024.
Night/Crimes: Canis Major 1995 Photographs, silkscreened text on acrylic Unique 179.7 x 95.9 cm / 70 3/4 x 37 3/4 inches GAINE118354 © Charles Gaines Courtesy the artist and Hauser & Wirth
Recognized as a pioneer of conceptual art, Gaines has been at the forefront of introducing language and systems into artistic production for decades. He is widely known for his use of translating mechanisms to convert images and documents into numerical structures, musical notation, and other sign systems. The ICA Miami exhibition highlights a pivotal shift in Gaines’s practice during the second half of his career, in which his work takes on even greater political and social dimension, incorporating materials abundant with preexisting cultural meaning. Among these are the Black Panthers’ manifesto as well as texts by Franz Kafka and Frantz Fanon, which have been channeled by the artist into complex formal and conceptual works. This radical approach has allowed Gaines to address the issues of race and identity politics in innovative ways that extend beyond representation. Simultaneously, Gaines began to combine different media, including video and sound, into his works.
Installation view, Charles Gaines: 1992–2023, ICA Miami, Miami, 2024. Courtesy ICA Miami
The ICA Miami exhibition brings together for the first time a number of monumental works and series that demonstrate the evolution of Gaines’s approach to combining an array of materials–electronics, wood, acrylic, photographs–and transforming them into a distinct visual language. Among these is a monumental piece that is being recreated by Gaines for the first time in nearly twenty years: Greenhouse (2003–2023) is a massive 12 by 16-foot sculptural enclosure wherein simulated atmospheric conditions identified with climate change are conflated with data visualizations of recorded temperature changes across the globe from the 15th century to the present. Another large-scale work, Falling Rock (2000–2023) is a sculpture in which a 65-lb chunk of granite drops in a randomized and sudden fashion, creating unexpected outcomes for the viewer each time. The artist is recreating these major works specifically for the ICA Miami exhibition.
Airplane crash clock 1997-2007 Mixed media, Duration: 10:00 min (loop) Unique Overall: 274.3 x 396.2 x 152.4 cm / 108 x 156 x 60 inches GAINE91965 © Charles Gaines Courtesy the artist and Hauser & Wirth
These pieces are presented alongside several standalone works, including Airplane Crash Clock (1997– 2007), Manifestos (2008), Sky Box I (2011), Manifestos 2 (2013), Manifestos 3 (2018), and Manifestos 5 (2023). Several series are also highlighted in the exhibition: Night/Crimes (1994–1997); Submerged Text (1991–2004); Randomized Text: History of Stars (2006–2007); Explosion (2006–2020); String Theory: Rewriting Fanon (2010); Notes on Social Justice (2013–2021); Librettos: Manuel de Falla/Stokley Carmichael (2015–2020); Identity Politics (2018); Numbers and Faces: Multi-Racial/Ethnic Combinations (2019–2020); and Numbers and Trees (1975–2023).
“Charles Gaines is a pivotal figure in conceptual art, and this exhibition demonstrates his central role in global conversations about contemporary art,” said Alex Gartenfeld, ICA Miami Artistic Director. “This survey also builds upon our ongoing engagement with the artist, who inaugurated our new building in 2017 with a site-specific installation and has since presented a performance at the museum. We are thrilled to share his work once again with the Miami community in an even more expansive presentation.” “This exhibition not only signifies the individual transformation of Gaines’s practice over the past several decades, but it also provides a throughline from the conceptual artists of the 1960s and 1970s to the conceptual artists of today,” said Moreno. “This rare examination of a three-decade-long evolution offers a new perspective on an established artist and allows audiences a view into the complex relationship between innovation, social justice, and conceptualism that has characterized the second half of Gaines’s career.”
Charles Gaines, Numbers and Trees: Charleston Series 1, Tree #3, Boone Hall Drive (2022). Acrylic sheet, acrylic paint, lacquer, wood. Unique.
152.4 x 210.5 x 14.6 cm / 60 x 82 7/8 x 5 3/4 inches. © Charles Gaines. Courtesy the artist and Hauser & Wirth. Photo: Fredrik Nilsen.
Exhibition Support
Exhibitions at ICA Miami are supported by the Knight Foundation. Major support is provided by the Nicoll Family Fund and Kathy and Steven Guttman.
About the Institute of Contemporary Art
Miami The Institute of Contemporary Art, Miami (ICA Miami) is dedicated to promoting continuous experimentation in contemporary art, advancing new scholarship, and fostering the exchange of art and ideas throughout the Miami region and internationally. Through an energetic calendar of exhibitions and programs, and its collection, ICA Miami provides an important international platform for the work of local, emerging, and under-recognized artists, and advances the public appreciation and understanding of the most innovative art of our time. Launched in 2014, ICA Miami opened its new permanent home in Miami’s Design District on December 1, 2017. The museum’s central location positions it as a cultural anchor within the community and enhances its role in developing cultural literacy throughout the Miami region. The museum offers free admission, providing audiences with open, public access to artistic excellence year-round.
The Institute of Contemporary Art, Miami is located at 61 NE 41st Street, Miami, Florida 33137. For more information, visit here or follow the museum on Instagram, YouTube, and Facebook. Explore the ICA Channel for inside looks at ICA Miami exhibitions and the practices of the most exciting artists working today.
