Jorge Méndez Blake Builds a Wall

James Cohan Gallery was opened in New York City in September 1999 with an inaugural exhibition of early photo-pieces by Gilbert & George. Since then it has continued an on-going exhibition program. The program includes the work of both established and emerging artists. The gallery maintains a strong international focus representing a diverse selection of contemporary artists from Ethiopia, China, Vietnam, Japan, Costa Rica, The Dominican Republic, the U.K. and the United States. The gallery also exhibits the estate of pioneering artist Robert Smithson as well as the influential Californian painter Lee Mullican.

The gallery has seen a lot of development and growth. A large number of new artists have been added to its roster. In October 2018 the gallery made an announcement that it will be moving its primary space in Chelsea to the neighborhood of Tribeca, where it will take up residence at 50 Walker Street in September 2019. Recently, Jorge Méndez Blake has constructed his own wall at James Cohan Gallery in New York’s Chelsea neighborhood. President Trump has attempted to make a case for the construction of a wall at the U.S.-Mexico border—looms. The wall that has been constructed is part of the space’s upcoming “Borders” exhibition. The exhibition will be organized at the gallery’s two New York locations. The exhibition features the works by Byron Kim, Sol LeWitt, Yinka Shonibare CBE, and Hank Willis Thomas, among others. The idea behind construction of the wall was preservation of Franz Kafka’s novel. Blake has embedded Kafka’s novel unfinished titled “The Man Who Disappeared” (published posthumously as Amerika) in the base of the wall. The book is about a young man who hails from Europe to New York. The gallery owner James Cohan informed ARTnews in an interview that the position of the book in the installation changes the geometry of the bricks and causes a ripple effect. Cohan further added that the real meaning of a wall is defined by the people who confront it. He added that the impetus for the exhibition came from the fascination with borders as a psychological and political and formal construct and exactly how do they intermingle within both the art world and the real world.

By: Anuja Arora

Content: http://www.artnews.com/2019/01/08/james-cohan-gallery-jorge-mendez-blake-builds-wall/