Across time, media, and meaning, A Treatise on Color: Vols. I–IV examines notions of value and emotional resonance to interrogate the influence of hue. From the subtle complexity of grayscale to the uncertainty of a chartreuse, tints, tones, and shades saturate our lives. Curated by J.E. Azmi, the exhibition at Fridman Gallery features 17 works by modern and contemporary artists. Azmi also introduces 16 of his own creations: Curatorial Contrafacts. Suspended between assemblage and readymade, the contrafacts juxtapose random objects, archival ephemera, and the repurposed work of other artists.
The first section, Volume I. The Value of Black and White, considers the numerical assignments given to the colors black and white: 0 and 255, respectively. Azmi draws parallels to this disparity with works that contemplate the value assigned to Black life and cultural production. His “…betta have my money/Asé” (2024) uses sales records for painter Alma Thomas, correspondence from Shaw Junior High School in Washington, DC, where she taught, and a photograph by Carrie Mae Weems from The Eatonville Portfolio (2003), portraying a woman walking into the distance. Inscribed with a poem about returning to oneself, the photo and other archival documents excavate the relationship between Thomas’s understanding of self-worth, her perceived value in the art world, and the savvy necessary to ensure her legacy.
In Volume II. Color Theory, artworks are installed in the gallery as a color wheel, each one representing a primary, secondary, or tertiary. While their positioning highlights the ways they compliment and contrast one another, the works retain their individuality. “Calm Before the Storm (in Green)” (2024) exemplifies this concept with its intriguing form and context. This contrafact brings together an image of a man leisurely fishing at water’s edge by watercolorist Leroy Allen, a seascape by an unknown artist, and the first edition of Langston Hughes’s autobiography, The Big Sea. While it seems arbitrary to see these objects in such proximity, their colors and themes are kindred.
Azmi’s contrafacts tend to dominate the conversation, and they reduce the need for standalone works, with the exception of Vol III. Colored Music. This section felt the most experimental, featuring an audio element and a sculpture loosely reminiscent of Nick Cave’s Soundsuits. Bhasha Chakrabarti’s indigo assemblage “Blue Notes VII” (2021), with its weathered blues, simple prose, and lonely pedestal, brings pathos to Azmi’s inquiries as it invokes a mournful song.
Volume IV. The Black Art Show returns to the first section’s discussion of cultural and monetary value. Spectators are projected onto the walls surrounding a seemingly nondescript sculptural piece. Both cynical and hilarious, it comments on the tension between contemplation and consumption in art, as viewers are unaware of what they truly applaud.
A Treatise on Color: Vols. I–IV offers much to unpack. If it all sounds a little hodgepodge, it’s by design. Beneath Azmi’s exploration of color is a constant framing and reframing of ideas in the pursuit of new perspectives and conversations.
A Treatise on Color: Vols. I–IV continues at Fridman Gallery (169 Bowery, Lower East Side, Manhattan) through October 5. The exhibition was curated by J.E. Azmi.
