Silk Road (2007-2009)
Twelve Red Emperors, 2008, oil, acrylic, gold leaf, silver leaf, and copper leaf on canvas, 72 x 108 inches
Silk Road (2007-2009)
The Silk Road was a series of ancient trade routes across Asia which served as a conduit for the transmission of ideas and goods between the East and Europe. It was also a vehicle for thought, trade and new artistic expression. This body of work continues Kushner's examination of such syntheses as he explores an expanded palette of evocative color while introducing designs from the tribal embroideries of Uzbekistan, which is located at the heart of the Silk Road.
Kushner’s interest in the Uzbek suzani stems from his work as a textile conservator in the 1970s. This exhibition confirms Donald Kuspit’s assessment in Artforum that “Kushner’s art goes against the prevailing trend toward the anti- or nonaesthetic, which takes revenge on life. He chooses instead to affirm the wonder of existence.”
The combination of riotous floral elements with the structure of the grid results in work that is simultaneously geometric and biomorphic, representational and abstract, organic and synthetic. The Uzbeck suzani, Kushner’s unique use of gold, silver, and patinated copper leaf, as well as mica, amplifies the dynamic, unapologetic opulence of his paintings.