R. H. Quaytman deploys techniques of mechanical reproduction and traditions of conceptual art to create closed series of works divided into chapters. Subsequent parts are numbered to mark the passage of time and the gradually completing life and artistic project. The artist treats all exhibitions and paintings presented as one creative undertaking.

R. H. Quaytman approaches painting as if it were poetry: when reading a poem, one notices particular words, and how each is not just that one word, but other words as well. Quaytman's paintings, organized into chapters structured in the form of a book, have a grammar, a syntax, and a vocabulary. While the work is bounded by a rigid structure on a material level—appearing only on beveled plywood panels in eight predetermined sizes derived from the golden ratio—open-ended content creates permutations that result in an archive without end. Quaytman's practice engages three distinct stylistic modes: photo-based silkscreens, optical patterns such as moiré and scintillating grids, and small hand-painted oil works.

Quaytman work, presented for the first time in Portugal, contemplates the possibility of painting today. What is a painting, an icon? What are the means of painting in a culture saturated by visual stimulation, from photography to a digital forest of signs? Is painting still a relevant medium to share our history? 

The exhibition is co-organized by Muzeum Sztuki in Lódz, Polónia, and by Fundação de Serralves – Museu de Arte Contemporânea, Porto.

Curated by Jaroslaw Suchan

Image: Courtesy Inhotim Collection, Brazil

Discover the exhibition through a guided tour by the Museum Director, in video: