Kelley Walker

Paula Cooper Gallery, New York
Acquired by the present owner from the above

This work is in very good condition overall. There are creases and folds in the newspaper collage which is inherent to the artist’s working method. There is evidence of light wear and handling to the sides, edges, and corners. Under ultraviolet light inspection there is no evidence of restoration. Unframed.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

Kelley Walker’s art does not merely strategize semiotic themes of signs and signifiers, but confronts the possibilities that keep contemporary painting in a constant state of motion.  The content of each periodical that he chooses, which serve as the mortar of his walls, seamlessly fuses handcrafted artistry with digital reproduction.  Such is the case with his 2008 work Untitled, which utilizes The Chief, a newspaper focused on the municipal government and labor unions of New York.  The image manipulation required to build his brick walls is balanced with the intricate process of laying the newspaper down.   Walker begins by scanning each brick into Photoshop.  Color tones are then introduced through silkscreens, executed in a way that allows for Walker to maintain control of a process often associated with mechanization:   “I don’t use an offset machine that applies the ink with equal and calibrated pressure as is standard in the commercial printing of process colors.  Instead, I print the silkscreens on canvas with uneven, uncalibrated hand pressure.  This results in a mostly off-color photographic image, with infinite unseen variations” (the artist in conversation with Bob Nickas in: Exh. Cat., Grenoble, Le Magasin, Centre National d’Art Contemporain, Kelley Walker, 2008, p. 75). Parallels can be drawn with On Kawara’s Date Paintings, in which the artist places a copy of that particular day’s newspaper in a box to accompany the completed image.  Whereas On Kawara’s choice of newsprint relates very specifically to particular places and dates, Walker’s motivation is guided more by the artist’s feelings and emotions, introducing an element of feral excitement to the visual content of the everyday.  The very idea of a brick wall, the clichéd backdrop of New York City, is a nod to an urban structure that is prevalent, yet all too commonly overlooked by the city’s inhabitants.  Nonetheless, there are those who do not see stacked bricks solely as a barrier or banal support, but rather a blank canvas or space for creative outlet.  In Walker’s case it is, among other things, a source of inspiration.  His use of ephemeral materials that tell the story of our time forces viewers to reexamine what is often over looked.