Spencer Finch

“Since Luke Howard first created a nomenclature for clouds in 1803, the efforts to comprehend and quantify clouds have been both beautiful and quixotic, and clouds always seem to stay one step ahead of human understanding.” 
– Spencer Finch

James Cohan is pleased to present H2O, an exhibition of new and historic work by Spencer Finch, on view from February 22 through May 11, 2024, at the gallery’s 291 Grand Street location. This is Finch’s fifth solo exhibition with James Cohan. The gallery will host an opening reception with the artist on Thursday, February 22 from 6-8 PM.

Perception, the memory of visual phenomena, and the impossible attempts to precisely describe them are central to Spencer Finch’s installation work. This exhibition centers on Cloud (H2O), 2006, one of the earliest examples of this important facet of the artist’s practice. Hundreds of light bulbs hang from the ceiling in a cloud-like formation, the bulbs functioning as models of the chemical formula of water - two hydrogen atoms and a single oxygen atom. Finch’s translation of a cloud broken down into its chemical state hints at water’s natural ability to exist in solid, liquid and gaseous states all at once, and serves as a potent reminder of the phenomenal possibilities of nature. Cloud (H2O) illustrates Finch’s interest in the dichotomy between abstraction and representation, perception and imagination, physical and ephemeral. Like many of Finch’s works, the installation presents an alternative notion of representation – one that is simultaneously scientific and symbolic.

In addition to this early Molecule light installation, H2O features a new textile work and a series of new drawings. Together, these works deepen Finch’s investigations into light, reflection, water, and the impermanence of human perception. The drawings, titled Sunlight on the Gowanus Canal, use gold leaf on paper to capture the reflections of light upon the water’s surface. Usuyuki III (I must go in, the fog is rising), 2021, uses hanging fabric to create a material representation of extreme weather conditions. Taken together, these works represent a dynamic expression of Finch’s enduring interest in the ways in which matter and light are translated into a formal vocabulary rooted in minimalism, yet harnessed to an expressive and immersive effect.

This exhibition is accompanied by a special presentation in the gallery's back room featuring new paintings and works on paper based on Finch's deep explorations of the color of Georges Seurat's iconic work A Sunday on La Grande Jatte, 1884-86.