PRESS RELEASE
Primary is proud to present "It was a Dream It is a Flood," a selection of new large-scale ceramics by the artist Wade Tullier. This exhibit marks Tullier's second solo exhibition with the gallery, further exploring generational storytelling and hierarchical proportion concerning his familial identity.
A remoteness to Southern Louisiana defines the region's landscape as much as it does the culture. An amphibious folk, equally comfortable on land as they are on the water, value their independence and live off the land uninhibited to the east of Atchafalaya Basin. This swampland is fertile, especially when it comes to the lifelong profession that is tale-telling.
In response to his upbringing, Wade Tullier treats his work like characters in an allegory, organizing objects and combining them into poetic columns for contemplation. These stacks, adorned with vibrant colors and pared-down shapes, pull from his personal history of living throughout the bayous of South Louisiana.
As civilization creeps in, old habits and customs die out. The taleteller is responsible to the community to present an account that encapsulates, to a great extent, the communal experiences, values, and sense of humor of their neighborhood or cultural background.
"It was a Dream It is a Flood" is Tullier's most significant work, exhibiting human-sized sculptures that are pillars of his character. A dedicated journal to the storybook traditions of his heritage. Animals, objects, and other phenomena balance into columns of various heights ranging from a few feet to six feet or more. Each codifies Tullier's experience, trauma, dreams, memories, and hunter/gatherer identity. The constellation of sculptures forms a psycho-geologic site, suggesting the interior landscape of Tullier's mind. Individual columns act as wayposts in the mythologized retelling of stories. A shared narrative that peeks into where we once were but leaves no hints of where we might be going or the state of the path we might be on.
Opens November 28, 2022 at 5 PM
On view until January 14, 2023
About the Artist :
Wade Tullier (b.1988, Baton Rouge, Louisiana) is a visual artist working primarily in ceramics and sculpture. His work and process are heavily influenced by storytelling and being raised within the landscape of southern Louisiana.
Tullier holds a BFA from Louisiana State University and an MFA from Cranbrook Academy of Art. He has exhibited nationally and internationally, with recent shows in Miami, Chicago, and Detroit. His work is included in ‘With Eyes Opened: Cranbrook Academy of Art Since 1932’ at the Cranbrook Art Museum and is currently included in ‘Clay Pop’ at Jeffrey Deitch New York. Tullier is represented by Primary in Miami.
Primary (Est. 2007) is a context and research-driven curatorial collective with an emphasis on public art. We thrive amongst the self-taught, working-class misfits, who explore the margins of a new Americana through pungent, human-focused narratives. Our program engages with the raw and uncanny, celebrating border voices, bootleg culture, and intergenerational commentary, connecting the new and unseen with broader audiences and evolving collections.
For further information, please contact info@thisisprimary.com
