simplenothingsimplesomething

Painted scaffolds and embossings on paper, dimensions variable, 2023
University Galleries of Illinois State University, Normal, IL

simplenothingsimplesomething comprises several new works on paper and a large-scale installation. This exhibition is the most recent iteration of Bawa's experiments with construction scaffolds, which began in 2012 and have spanned several formats. Compelled equally by their geometrical elegance and their passive ubiquity in daily life, Bawa has revealed scaffolds to be a surprisingly rich sculptural medium.
The title for this exhibition was adapted from a 2011 interview of the sculptor John McCracken. “With many Minimalist [artworks],” he said, “one could be tempted to think [that the work is] merely a simple nothing, but it's really a simple something.” A push and pull between “something” and “nothing” —always executed through the simplest of means — is consistently the source of meaning and power in Bawa's art.
Curator - Troy Sherman

Press Release: simplenothingsimplesomething
Photos by Jade Nguyen