Peter Sacks: Migrations Exhibitions


Marlborough Fine Art is pleased to present a solo exhibition of new works by South African-born, US-based artist Peter Sacks.

Sacks’ approach to painting utilises the most intimate material residues of life — textiles, texts, and traces of objects — all transformed into active fields of energy, empathy and history. Each work by Sacks is a striking accretion of material, meaning, and emotion. In addition to wood, metal, cardboard, batting and quilting, the rhythmic surfaces are made up of pieces of fabric from around the world, embroidery, fishing nets, buttons and burlap, as well as fragments of garments. The works are handmade, some taking years to make, overt in their physicality and materiality in an increasingly digital world.

This exhibition is the most geographically wide-ranging Sacks has made to date, featuring materials gathered from the USA, India, Spain, Normandy and the continent of Africa amongst others. The cultural diversity of Durban, where the artist grew up, has had a lasting influence on his artistic sensibility and process. All the materials used in his practice have personal significance: for example, the fragments of traditional Indian garments relate to the large Indian population in Durban, whilst precious cloth from Normandy references the artist’s time living there. Sacks, who also uses fragments of an American Civil War quilt in this new work, is preoccupied with forced migration, displacement and diaspora, concepts physically manifested in the dynamic and rupturing fluidities in his paintings, themselves in perpetual migration through space and time.

The artist has referred to his intensive process of discovery and layering as “excavating in reverse”. His intricately patterned works, layered with materials, paint and embroidered stitch, also incorporate text. Whilst having focused on painting since the early 2000s, prior to this Sacks published five acclaimed books of poetry. He types with a manual typewriter directly onto the fabric adding a partially buried yet powerful element – the micro-geographies of thread and text reveal more the closer you get. The texts include literary passages as well as transcriptions from political prisoners in besieged cities such as Aleppo, turning testimonials into visual forms and producing a sense of simultaneously urgent appeal and timeless, collective memory. Themes of threat and danger, retrieval and regeneration are prevalent, with ruined cities and outposts of civilization explicitly invoked in works such as Outpost 2 (2017); marks left by humanity on the natural world are considered in others, like his False Bay series (2015). There is a prevailing atmosphere of ordeal in which each painting is itself a survivor.

Peter Sacks (b. 1950, Port Elizabeth, South Africa) currently lives and works in the USA, between Massachusetts, Connecticut, and New York. After growing up in Durban, Sacks was educated at Princeton, Oxford and Yale. He joined Marlborough Gallery in 2016. He has had solo exhibitions at various galleries in the USA and Europe, including: Marlborough Gallery, New York (2017); Robert Miller Gallery, New York (2014); Paul Rodgers 9W, New York (2012-13); Wade Wilson Art, Houston, Texas (2012-13); and Galerie Piece Unique, Paris (2007-8). He has participated in group exhibitions internationally, including: The Woven Arc, The Cooper Gallery of African & African American Art, Cambridge, Massachusetts (2016); Expo Chicago, Chicago, Illinois (2015); Art International, Istanbul (2015); Bologna Art Fair, Bologna (2006); and FIAC Art Fair, Paris (2004 & 2005). His work is held in public collections including The Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, Massachusetts, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, and the Collection of Constitutional Court of South Africa, Johannesburg.

A fully illustrated catalogue with an introduction by Paul Keegan accompanies the exhibition.


More details


Date(s)18 Apr - 19 May 2018
WebsiteVisit website
Venue Marlborough Fine Art
Address6 Albemarle Street, London, Greater London,
W1S4BY

Explore localWhat's on in London
 Local tourist information guide
Other eventsWhat's on at Marlborough Fine Art


Main photo may be copyright © Pelham


Nearest Hotels

Staying overnight in London?

We've teamed up with Booking.com to provide the best room rates for hotels near the vicinity of the Peter Sacks Migrations event in London.

The Ritz London

ROOMS FROM£380.4
144mAWAY
5

Overlooking Londons Green Park is the world-famous The Ritz London. This stunning Neoclassical building offers the height of opulence with luxurious bedrooms, exquisite British cuisine, and classic afternoon teas..

Postcode: W1J 9BR
Distance from Marlborough Fine Art:
0.1 miles

CHECK AVAILABILITYHotel details, map & prices

Holiday Inn London Mayfair

ROOMS FROM£149
153mAWAY
4

On the corner of Piccadilly and Berkeley Street, Holiday Inn Mayfair is in Londons premier hotel district. Green Park, Regent Street and West End glamour are all within a few minutes walk..

Postcode: W1J 8NE
Distance from Marlborough Fine Art:
0.1 miles

CHECK AVAILABILITYHotel details, map & prices

Arlington House Apartments

ROOMS FROM£226
214mAWAY
5

Arlington House Apartments are set in the heart of St. James and many come with impressive views overlooking Green Park. The apartments are only a 10-minute walk from Oxford Street and Leicester Square and 20 minutes walk from Covent Garden.

Postcode: SW1A 1RL
Distance from Marlborough Fine Art:
0.1 miles

CHECK AVAILABILITYHotel details, map & prices

The May Fair Hotel

ROOMS FROM£261
214mAWAY
5

Opened by King George V in 1927, this luxurious 5-star hotel is situated in the heart of Mayfair, surrounded by the parks, theatres and attractions of Londons West End..

Postcode: W1J 8LT
Distance from Marlborough Fine Art:
0.1 miles

CHECK AVAILABILITYHotel details, map & prices

St James Hotel &

ROOMS FROM£272
268mAWAY
5

With an exclusive club and a Michelin-starred restaurant, this stunning 5-star hotel is in the heart of elegant Mayfair. St James Hotel & Club is just a 10-minute walk from Buckingham Palace..

Postcode: SW1A 1LP
Distance from Marlborough Fine Art:
0.2 miles

CHECK AVAILABILITYHotel details, map & prices

Ryder Street Chambers

ROOMS FROM£150
269mAWAY
0

Ryder Street Chambers offers accommodation in London. Piccadilly Circus is 400 metres from the property. Free WiFi is offered throughout the property.

Postcode: SW1Y 6PY
Distance from Marlborough Fine Art:
0.2 miles

CHECK AVAILABILITYHotel details, map & prices

View all hotels near Marlborough Fine Art


Your comments:

comments powered by Disqus

Disclaimer: This event is not organised by BritEvents, and we cannot be held responsible for the accuracy of the information provided, errors, or omissions. Always check the information provided before you book tickets.

Event Details

Date18 Apr - 19 May 2018
Time(s)10:00 AM - 5:30 PM
CostFree
Venue Marlborough Fine Art
6 Albemarle Street
London
Greater London
W1S4BY
Phone+44 (0)20 7629 5161
CategoryExhibitions


Pelham

Added
23 Jan 2018

Contact organiser

View full profile