Tenet, Wall Begins to Know Itself, 2020, tile, mortar, plywood, hardwood, plastic bottles, paper, pulp, 48 x 27 x 14 inches
[Image Description: Two white decorative pillars support a wooden shelf. The shelf protrudes from a wooden panel, which is nestled inside a rectangular slab of white subway-tiles.]
Conversation with Tenet and Mark Robbins
Wednesday, March 23, 6:30-8pm
RSVP here
Please join us for a conversation between Tenet and Mark Robbins in conjunction with Tenet’s solo exhibition, Wall Begins to Know Itself. Consisting of sculptures and wall-hanging assemblages crafted from wood, papier-mache, photographs, and other materials, the exhibition explores how urban spaces unsettle the boundaries between public and private, past and present, functional and nonfunctional.
The conversation will center around “Room in the City,” an exhibition that Robbins curated at City Gallery in 1987. Tenet stumbled upon a copy of the “Room in the City” exhibition catalogue while in the process of conceptualizing their own exhibition for CUE, and were struck by the thematic similarities. In the 1987 exhibition, twelve architects were asked to design non-luxurious renovations for existing units in a tenement building in the Lower East Side. Their results were theoretical designs reflecting the lives of the occupants and their relationship to the city.
A maximum of 50 people will be admitted at a time. No appointment is necessary, but we do appreciate RSVPs. There may be a wait to enter if the gallery is at full capacity.
*Health and safety protocols for gallery visitors during event
Please note, masks or face coverings are mandatory upon entry regardless of vaccination status. An optional hands-free thermometer is available upon entry. We will also continue to gather personal information for contact tracing. If you think you have a fever, have tested positive for COVID-19 in the past 14 days, or have had close contact with anyone who is confirmed or suspected of having COVID-19, please don’t visit the gallery. Thank you for your cooperation and we look forward to seeing you in the gallery!
Hand sanitizer will be available. Checklists and press releases are available on our website. Limited printed copies will be available upon inquiry. If you think you have a fever, have tested positive for COVID-19 in the past 14 days, or have had close contact with anyone who is confirmed or suspected of having COVID-19, please don’t visit the gallery.
Access Notes
CUE Art Foundation is wheelchair accessible. There is an all-gender, ADA compliant, single-stall bathroom in the gallery. The space is not scent-free, but we do request that people attending come low-scent. The closest wheelchair-accessible MTA subway stations are Penn Station and Herald Square Station. If you have additional access questions or needs, please contact info@cueartfoundation.org (ideally with at least 48 hours before the event) and we will do our best to accommodate you.
Tenet is a collaboration between Julia Eshaghpour and Kevin Hollidge. Julia and Kevin live and work in New York, NY, and both completed a B.A. in Fine Art from Macalester College in St. Paul, MN in 2017. Selected exhibitions include: “To Defeat the Purpose: Guerilla Tactics in Latin American Art” Aoyama Meguro Gallery, (Tokyo 2020), “Seen but Not Noticed” Institute for New Connotative Action, (Portland 2020), “Bubble: Presented by Joel Dean” Gern En Regalia, (New York 2019), “Sukkot” 211 Montrose, (Brooklyn 2019), “Vestigial” Biquini Wax, (Mexico City 2018), “No Más Antes Los Ojos” Tiro Al Blanco, (Guadalajara 2018). This is their first solo presentation in New York.
Mark Robbins’ work bridges the fields of art and architecture, exploring the intersection of the built environment with social practices. He uses photography, installations, and site-specific projects to reveal complex narratives about individuals and place. Whether focused on body culture, gay identity, or the architecture of new urbanism, the intent is to challenge standard histories and mainstream representations of daily life. He has exhibited in venues throughout the United States and abroad, including the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art; the Museum of Modern Art, Saitama, Japan; the Wexner Center for the Arts; the Atlanta Contemporary Art Center; and the Clocktower Gallery, NY. Strong+Silent was shown at the Clifford Gallery, Colgate University, which included “Playbook,” a 35 foot long photographic mural of intertwined collegiate footballs players modeled on the renaissance etching, “The Battle of Naked Men.”
Mark is the President and CEO of American Academy of Rome. Previously he was executive director of the International Center of Photography in New York, and dean of the Syracuse University School of Architecture.