Paul Thek. Untitled (diver), 1969. Synthetic polymer on newspaper, 26 1/8 x 36 1/4 inches (66.4 x 92.1 cm)
Courtesy of the Estate of Paul Thek, Pace Gallery, Galerie Buchholz, Mai 36 Galerie
The Swimmer
JUNE 6-AUGUST 9, 2024
Curated by Jonathan Rider
Opening reception: Thursday, June 6, 6-8 PM
The FLAG Art Foundation is pleased to present The Swimmer, a group exhibition based on John Cheever’s short story of one man’s surreal and quietly devastating journey pool-hopping his way home. Published by The New Yorker in the wake of the Kennedy assassination, Cheever’s narrative is located within a particularly American conversation on class, idealism, grandiosity, and failure. The exhibition similarly explores themes of alienation, loss of innocence, repetition, and disappearance, all set to the glittering backdrop of swimming pools. Artists include Henni Alftan, Leonard Baby, Conrad Bakker, Katherine Bradford, Dike Blair, Martin Boyce, Vija Celmins, Zoe Crosher, Nancy Diamond, Elmgreen & Dragset, Tony Feher, Robert Gober, Wayne Gonzales, Jim Hodges, Reggie Burrows Hodges, Roni Horn, Ludovic Nkoth, Amy Park, Jack Pierson, Calida Rawles, Melanie Schiff, Cindy Sherman, Cynthia Talmadge, Deanna Templeton, Paul Thek, Stephen Truax, and others.
About:
The Swimmer was curated by The FLAG Art Foundation’s Director Jonathan Rider, an artist, curator, and writer based in New York City. FLAG would like to acknowledge the participating artists, galleries, and private lenders for their generous loans of artworks to this exhibition.