White cube

White Cube New York Office | 699 Madison Avenue, New York
Until 26 February 2021

New works by Sarah Morris are currently on view in White Cube’s New York office, located at 699 Madison Avenue. Never previously exhibited, these 12 paintings depict each month of the lunar calendar during 2020. 

In these paintings, the artist both expands and reduces her abstract language, evolving the compositions – or what she describes as ‘diagrams’ – into a series of graphic, vivid paintings that feature circles and semi circles in strict grid formations. While the paintings reference time and a particular place, in this case New York City, each one also forms part of a greater whole. As an overall visual system, the works take on the appearance of a collective code which merges with our experience of the political and social disarray of the year 2020.

Morris states, ‘I have always loved calendars. I remember making calendars as a kid and being fascinated by buying calendars, but I did make my own. I started thinking about making calendars, lunar calendars, to mark this year as I was literally trying to figure out what to do with my time.  

‘The Lunar paintings from 2020 started from thinking about time, marking time, about what is affecting us as we are moving through time, and as it’s not just politics, which of course we have had a lot of this year. It’s multi-layered - you’re sitting there thinking about political, financial, and psychological things.  

‘You’re also thinking about health and social systems breaking down and at the same time, Time is just marching on and we basically lost sense of time this year. Even more than normal, this acceleration that has happened with all the technology, and the flying, with the art world, with everything.  

‘This year is obviously a very different type of year, it’s a much more slowed down year, and it’s made the presence of the calendar and the sense of time even more important.’

Contact salesenquiry@whitecube.com to arrange a viewing.