May 17, 2022

Kevin Beasley | 'On site' Exhibition Debut at Regen Projects, LA

by Sofia Lieblein

Site III, 2022, Polyurethane resin, raw Virginia cotton, house dresses, t-shirts, confetti t-shirts, altered t-shirts, confetti house dresses, 74 x 55 1/2 x 2 inches (188 x 141 x 5.1 cm)

In his first solo show in Los Angeles, Kevin Beasley unveils his newest exhibition, On site, at Regen Projects. Open May 7th through June 25th, 2022, On site merges the past, present, and desired future with its multidisciplinary artworks. In this unique display, Beasley intersects sculpture, sound, performance, and drawing. Beasleys’ pieces, generated from a collaboration of found and personal materials, promote the notion of a universally felt cultural history—one that has shaped the contemporary social sphere.

the lagoon, 2022, Polyurethane resin, raw Virginia cotton, altered house dresses, altered t-shirts, Sharpie transfer, 39 x 60 x 2 inches (99.1 x 152.4 x 5.1 cm)

Beasley makes his mark with his groundbreaking collaboration of sculpture and sound. The centerpiece of this exhibition, a repurposed utility pole, towers above Beasley’s other works. This work merges figure and sound, as the pole echoes field recordings throughout the gallery. This principal sculpture exists as an introduction to the numerous motifs in On site.

palms 2022, Polyurethane resin, raw Virginia cotton, altered house dresses, altered t-shirts, Sharpie transfer 39 x 60 x 2 inches (99.1 x 152.4 x 5.1 cm)

In this unique display, Beasley’s other pieces, visualized slab sculptures, draw from the origins of relief sculptures from the American South. These sculptures, molded from fabrics such as raw Virginia cotton, altered fabrics of house dresses, du-rags, and shoelaces combine generations of cultural heritage tangibly and metaphorically.

Site I, 2022, Polyurethane resin, raw Virginia cotton, altered t-shirts, house dresses, 74 x 55 1/2 x 2 inches (188 x 141 x 5.1 cm)

On site exemplifies Beasley’s unique ability to express the cumulative struggle, grief, and pain that generations of Black Americans have endured, while still conveying the pride that remains in the expression of one's personal history.