A sculptor at heart, Gabriel Kuri (b.1970) is celebrated for his dexterity, precision, and wit in convincingly forging unexpected unions between diverse materials. From found objects to collected or repurposed items, Kuri consistently directs our attention to the easily neglected detritus of the everyday. Cigarette butts, receipts, doorstops, and metal sheets become emblems of capitalist and consumer society. For the artist, there are no strictly “natural” materials. Every object is imbued with information and signification. Kuri extracts from these items coded meanings and hidden values, such as risk, luck, speculation, and emergency, filtered through the lens of commerce and modern economics.

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Materials are converted into forms, reminiscent of and renewing our understandings of art historical movements like Minimalism, Arte Povera, and New Generation Sculpture. Kuri’s artistic strategy employs a system of rational structures and categorization, inspired from such industrial organizational schemes as the directory board, Take-a-Number tickets, punch cards, as well as corporate charts and graphics. Through such an intellectually rigorous approach, the artist strives to comprehend and unearth the inner mechanisms and operating patterns of the real world.

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In response to the context of Aranya, a seaside real estate development, a selection of old and new works about seashells, and questions of housing and shelter, has been purposefully included and produced for the exhibition.

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This exhibition is organized by Damien Zhang, director of Aranya Art Center and curatorial assistant Wang Jiaming. The exhibition is on view from March 12 through June 25, 2023.

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Special thanks to Sadie Coles HQ.