Blair Thurman

In his work, Blair Thurman deals with American society and its achievements. First and foremost, car culture with its fast cars, highways, race tracks and the associated speed and movement has been the focus of his interest since childhood. It is at the same time an essential component of the American myth and an expression of individual freedom and mobility.

Thurman’s artistic oeuvre is just as varied as the flood of stimuli of a US American metropolis: brightly colored neon tubes, bright colors, geometric reductions, round shapes based on rotating wheels, as well as concentric circular lines testify to a strong visual effect, inviting the sometimes irritated eye of the beholder to scan the works again.

Cables, exposed wire holders or adhesive tapes clearly refer to everyday culture and lend his installations something trashy. But not only the use of everyday objects, but also the simplification of form, monochrome color applications, and the differently shaped picture carriers express Blair Thurman’s multi-layered preoccupation with the pioneers of 20th-century art history such as Frank Stella or Dan Flavin, as well as representatives of Pop and Op Art.

Thurman’s works combine motifs from American culture with stylistic elements from his artistic predecessors to create an unmistakable formal language. They snatch everyday objects such as neon tubes or subjects such as cars from their original context in order to transform them into a novel artificial iconography.

Born in New Orleans, Blair Thurman (*1961) lives and works in New York. He regularly exhibits in the USA and Europe.

Sara Zanetti