Elijah Wheat Showroom is delighted to present a solo exhibition by Irish artist, Clive Murphy, opening May 19th from 6pm-9pm and runs until June 24. Beginning with reclaimed woven rugs, Clive re-purposes the textiles into wall tapestries. Heavy black pigment soaks the fabric leaving only cutout like negative space, revealing forms with a minimalist composition. Works are all comprised by the same floating shapes, however, adapt to a random sequence of four key elements into an abstraction. Also, conspicuously placed on a pedestal is an interactive box, holding identical loose forms, like detritus compiled randomly, frozen on the back panel.

Encouraging viewers to remove the object, the Random Composition Generator shuffles the loose parts as the ‘artist’ shakes the pieces to an optimal arrangement and locks it in place. Then, replaces the game back onto the gallery’s pedestal. Like DADA-identifying artists/activists of the early twentieth century intended, an optimal category of chance is embraced to release creativity from rational control. Questioning the role of the artist in the artistic process, Murphy insights audience involvement and includes them in the production and presentation of compositions. Participants will have an opportunity to leave an analogue image to remain in the gallery for the duration of the show along with Murphy’s signature small scale ready-made sculptures.

There is a calm practice of abstraction, freeing any subject matter and allowing a metaphysical standard to present the compositions without pretense. Like dropping sticks of the I-ching or tossing runes, shapes and symbols forecast and magically inform the participants’ current art-going experiences. This occultist-like pinball game offers humor, accidental design and a primal abstraction for the participant. The random patterns and abstractions reveal anything from “little nymphs, to cheeky demonic faces” Murphy chorts.

Clive Murphy lives and works in Brooklyn. Previous exhibitions include: St. Isdro's Still, Anonymous Gallery, Mexico City (2018); Ambient Occlusion, Present Company Gallery, Brooklyn (2017); House of Cards, Van Horn Gallery, Dusseldorf (2016); Good Things Come..., Plymouth College of Art, England (2016); Two Machines, Knockdown Centre, New York (2015); DIWIF (Demonic Interventions With Ikea Furniture) - collaboration with Aengus Woods, Rawson Projects, New York (2015); Being: The Gameshow, Storefront For Art and Architecture, New York (2014); Saturated Phenomena, Wildlife, Brooklyn (2013); Neo Proto Demo, Kling & Bang, Reykjavik, Iceland (2013) Zypher, Jerome Fellowship funded public sculpture, Franconia Sculpture Park, Minnesota (2012); Fill The Barn, Index Festival of Sound and Technology, New York (2011); The Sixth Borough, No Longer Empty, Governors Island, New York (2010); Almost Nothing, Soap Factory Gallery, Minneapolis (2009); LMCC, New York (2008);Non-Oblectif Sud, Côtes du Rhône (2008); Kerlin Gallery, Dublin (2008); West Germany Gallery, Berlin (2007); Irish Museum of Modern Art, Dublin (2007); Fieldgate Gallery, London (2007); Mercer Union Gallery, Toronto (2006); Hugh Lane Gallery, Dublin (2005) Crawford Municipal Art Gallery, Cork (2005); Bloomberg New Contemporaries, Manchester/Sheffield/London (2005); Alma Enterprises Gallery, London (2005); British Council/CityMine(d) Brussels (2005); Eastlink Gallery, Shanghai (2004); Gallery 411, Hangzhou (2004); Zedebois Centre, Lisbon (2003) EV+A, Limerick (2002); CCFA, Prague (2001)