Meaning and Material

The focal point of Robert Grosvenor’s exhibition is a work from 1989-90. The kinds of dynamics and implicit questions that are very present in Grosvenor’s work are no less vital now. This program presents two artists, Geof Oppenheimer and Virginia Overton, who will respond to Grosvenor’s work, exploring potential resonances with their own practices. At the same time, the discussion will also serve as a jumping off point to consider aspects of sculpture today—whether hinging on the uses of common materials; the relation of the work, the space, and the viewer; or shadows of meaning in artworks that echo the built environment.

Geof Oppenheimer lives and works in Chicago. He has exhibited internationally at venues including the Mary and Leigh Block Museum of Art, PS1/MOMA, The Contemporary Museum, Baltimore; The Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago; SITE Santa Fe; The Indianapolis Museum of Art; The Aspen Art Museum; The 4th Athens Biennale, and CAB Art Center, Brussels. Oppenheimer is an Associate Professor of Practice in the Department of Visual Arts at the University of Chicago.

Virginia Overton lives and works in New York. Recent solo exhibitions include the Whitney Museum of American Art (2015); White Cube, London (2015); Storm King Art Center, New Windsor, NY (2014); Museum of Contemporary Art, North Miami (2014), Westfälischer Kunstverein, Munster (2013-4); Kunsthalle Bern (2013); The Power Station, Dallas (2013) and the Power House, Memphis (2007). Recent group exhibitions and projects include: ICA Philadelphia (2016); Art Basel Parcours (2016); Pier 54, New York (2014); High Line, New York (2012-2013), and MoMA PS1 (2010).