Overview

Wilding Cran Gallery is pleased to announce its participation at Frieze No. 9 Cork Street, with the exhibition of The Air Upon You, a selection of new works by Los Angeles-based artists, Michelle Blade, Mustafa Ali Clayton, Karon Davis, and February James. 

 

As the keepers of our own stories, our bodies carry the air of our surroundings, our dreams and emotions, the passing of time, and the legacies of our ancestry. In a celebration of both the monumental and everyday moments that have the power to bring us pause, The Air Upon You sets out to explore the frameworks that form our individual perceptions of the identities we inhabit.

 

At the heart of the exhibition, Karon Davis's Lounging Nude No. 1 serves as a guiding point, setting the stage for works by Blade, Clayton, and James. Presenting her first ever nude installation, the artist nods to ancient techniques, molding in plaster to capture the physicality of a fleeting moment. Affixed with an extravagant hairstyle and accessories, Davis's figure reclines upon a decadent fainting couch. The tension between the rough-hewn plaster and the model's languid pose issues a magnetic air of luxurious confidence, commanding the attention of the viewer. She is the central goddess, the BOSS, as her earrings denote. Through her power and grace, she challenges us to decipher the narrative for ourselves. 

 

Utilizing solely organic and sustainable materials, from clay and fiber, to wood and wax, Mustafa Ali Clayton grounds his work in the natural elements of the earth. Despite distinctions in approach, both Davis and Clayton present statuesque works that harness their artistic mediums to pay homage to the ancestry of material iconography. In contrast to Davis's textured nude figure, Clayton's larger-than-life ceramic heads are coated in a mirrored ebony glaze. Each sculpture sits atop a plinth, strikingly intimate and individual in countenance. There is a tender, timeless beauty to each subject, their inner strength shining through the delicate ceramic medium. 

 

In a departure from the graceful countenance of each of Clayton's figures, February James strips away at the visage of her subjects, using watercolor, acrylic, oil pastel, and charcoal to create portraits that capture the pathos of that which is hidden within our interactions with one another. In this selection of paintings, James' attention to color draws the viewer through the eyes of her subjects, into their interior landscapes, their emotions, and their memories. Juxtaposed with the haunting nature of James's work, Michelle Blade embeds figures within her representations of the Southern California landscape, allowing the body and the natural world to bloom and bleed poetically across her signature poplin canvases. There is an inherent sense of eternity and passage to the rocks, the clouds, the stars, the weeping willow. The chance glimpse of a human figure fades in and out of the luminous, large-scale canvases, paling in comparison to the regenerative immortality of the natural world. 

 

Whether communicating the truth of an image, a belief, a memory, or an environment, the works on view seek to capture the energy that is held within spaces of vulnerability. By bringing each artist's explorations of the figurative into dialogue with one another, The Air Upon You invites the viewer into a space charged with catharsis, compassion, and agency. Immersed in a palimpsest of past and present, the artists and their subjects serve as theatrical players, permeating the emotional terrain that lies between embodiment and transcendence.

 

Launched in October 2021, No.9 Cork Street is Frieze's first permanent exhibition space for international galleries in the historic heart of Mayfair, London. Selvi May Akyildiz is the Director of No.9 Cork Street. Designed by architecture studio Matheson Whiteley, No.9 Cork Street is housed across two converted townhouses and spread across three floors.

Installation Views
Works
  • Michelle Blade, With Your Name in My Mouth, 2022
    Michelle Blade
    With Your Name in My Mouth, 2022
    Acrylic and ink on Poplin
    74 x 62 inches 187.96 x 157.48 cm.
  • Michelle Blade, The Great Slipping Glimpses, 2022
    Michelle Blade
    The Great Slipping Glimpses, 2022
    Acrylic and ink on Poplin
    60 x 48 inches 152.40 x 121.92 cm.
  • Michelle Blade, In the Willow, 2022
    Michelle Blade
    In the Willow, 2022
    Acrylic and ink on Poplin
    34 x 30 inches 86.36 x 76.2 cm
  • Mustafa Ali Clayton, Armani, 2022
    Mustafa Ali Clayton
    Armani, 2022
    Earthenware clay, beads, glaze
    22 x 22 x 21 inches
    55.9 x 55.9 x 53.3 cm.
  • Mustafa Ali Clayton, Noella, 2022
    Mustafa Ali Clayton
    Noella, 2022
    Earthenware clay, beads, glaze
    15 3/4 x 11 x 13 inches
    40 x 27.9 x 33 cm.
  • Mustafa Ali Clayton, Sofia, 2022
    Mustafa Ali Clayton
    Sofia, 2022
    Earthenware clay, beads, glaze
    15 x 10 x 11 1/2 inches
    38.1 x 25.4 x 29.2 cm.
  • Mustafa Ali Clayton, Sam, 2022
    Mustafa Ali Clayton
    Sam, 2022
    Earthenware clay, glaze
    19 x 16 x 16 inches
    48.3 x 40.6 x 40.6 cm.
  • Mustafa Ali Clayton, Devondia, 2022
    Mustafa Ali Clayton
    Devondia, 2022
    Earthenware clay, glaze
    17 x 12 x 13 inches
    43.2 x 30.5 x 33 cm.
  • Mustafa Ali Clayton, Karl, 2022
    Mustafa Ali Clayton
    Karl, 2022
    Earthenware clay, glaze
    14 x 10 1/2 x 10 inches
    35.6 x 26.7 x 25.4 cm.
  • Mustafa Ali Clayton, Ziondrea, 2022
    Mustafa Ali Clayton
    Ziondrea, 2022
    Earthenware clay, glaze
    17 x 18 x 12 inches
    43.2 x 45.7 x 30.5 cm.
  • Karon Davis, Lounging Nude No. 1, 2022
    Karon Davis
    Lounging Nude No. 1, 2022
    Plaster bandages, plaster, chicken wire, glass eyes, steel, acrylic nails, nail polish, rhinestones, door knockers, antique fainting sofa
    56 x 87 x 31 inches
    142.2 x 221 x 78.7 cm.
  • February James, YKWIM, 2022
    February James
    YKWIM, 2022
    Charcoal, watercolor, ink, oil pastel on canvas
    60 x 50 inches
    152.4 x 127 cm.
  • February James, You do so much to be noticed...and I still don't see you, 2022
    February James
    You do so much to be noticed...and I still don't see you, 2022
    Acrylic and ink on canvas
    24 x 18 inches
    61 x 45.7 cm.
  • February James, The Race For Pennies, 2022
    February James
    The Race For Pennies, 2022
    Acrylic and ink on canvas
    24 x 18 inches
    61 x 45.7 cm.
  • February James, Celebrated or Tolerated, 2022
    February James
    Celebrated or Tolerated, 2022
    Acrylic, ink, oil pastel on canvas
    70 x 30 inches
    177.8 x 76.2 cm.
  • February James, WAS IT FUN?, 2022
    February James
    WAS IT FUN?, 2022
    Watercolor on paper
    14 x 25 1/4 inches
    35.6 x 64.1 cm.
  • February James, Do You Kiss Your Mother with That Mind?, 2022
    February James
    Do You Kiss Your Mother with That Mind?, 2022
    Watercolor on paper
    14 x 25 1/4 inches
    35.6 x 64.1 cm.
  • Herald Nix, Untitled Shuswap Lake, B.C. #13, June 9th, 2019
    Herald Nix
    Untitled Shuswap Lake, B.C. #13, June 9th, 2019
    Oil on birch panel
    8 1/2 x 10 1/2 inches
    21.6 x 26.7 cm.
  • Herald Nix, Untitled Shuswap Lake, B.C. #5, August 26th, 2018
    Herald Nix
    Untitled Shuswap Lake, B.C. #5, August 26th, 2018
    Oil on birch panel
    8 1/2 x 10 1/2 inches
    21.6 x 26.7 cm.
  • Herald Nix, Untitled Shuswap Lake, B.C. #12, August, 2019
    Herald Nix
    Untitled Shuswap Lake, B.C. #12, August, 2019
    Oil on birch panel
    8 1/2 x 10 1/2 inches
    21.6 x 26.7 cm.
  • Herald Nix, Untitled Shuswap Lake, B.C. #30, March 22nd, 2019
    Herald Nix
    Untitled Shuswap Lake, B.C. #30, March 22nd, 2019
    Oil on birch panel
    8 1/2 x 10 1/2 inches
    21.6 x 26.7 cm.
  • Herald Nix, Untitled Shuswap Lake, B.C. #7, September 25th, 2019
    Herald Nix
    Untitled Shuswap Lake, B.C. #7, September 25th, 2019
    Oil on birch panel
    8 1/2 x 10 1/2 inches
    21.6 x 26.7 cm.
  • Herald Nix, Untitled Shuswap Lake, B.C. #2, April 29th, 2019
    Herald Nix
    Untitled Shuswap Lake, B.C. #2, April 29th, 2019
    Oil on birch panel
    8 1/2 x 10 1/2 inches
    21.6 x 26.7 cm.
    14 1/2 x 16 1/2 inches (framed)
    36.8 x 41.9 cm.
  • Herald Nix, Untitled Shuswap Lake, B.C. #29, June, 2019
    Herald Nix
    Untitled Shuswap Lake, B.C. #29, June, 2019
    Oil on birch panel
    8 1/2 x 10 1/2 inches
    21.6 x 26.7 cm.
  • Herald Nix, Untitled Shuswap Lake, B.C. #16, March 22, 2019
    Herald Nix
    Untitled Shuswap Lake, B.C. #16, March 22, 2019
    Oil on birch panel
    8 1/2 x 10 1/2 inches
    21.6 x 26.7 cm.
  • Herald Nix, Untitled Shuswap Lake, B.C. #23, September 18th, 2018
    Herald Nix
    Untitled Shuswap Lake, B.C. #23, September 18th, 2018
    Oil on birch panel
    8 1/2 x 10 1/2 inches
    21.6 x 26.7 cm.
  • Herald Nix, Untitled Shuswap Lake, B.C. #15, May, 2019
    Herald Nix
    Untitled Shuswap Lake, B.C. #15, May, 2019
    Oil on birch panel
    8 1/2 x 10 1/2 inches
    21.6 x 26.7 cm.
  • Herald Nix, Untitled Shuswap Lake, B.C. #4, April 29th, 2019
    Herald Nix
    Untitled Shuswap Lake, B.C. #4, April 29th, 2019
    Oil on birch panel
    8 1/2 x 10 1/2 inches
    21.6 x 26.7 cm.
  • Herald Nix, Untitled Shuswap Lake, B.C. #21, April 30th, 2019
    Herald Nix
    Untitled Shuswap Lake, B.C. #21, April 30th, 2019
    Oil on birch panel
    8 1/2 x 10 1/2 inches
    21.6 x 26.7 cm.
  • Herald Nix, Untitled Shuswap Lake, B.C. #38, July, 2016
    Herald Nix
    Untitled Shuswap Lake, B.C. #38, July, 2016
    Oil on birch panel
    8 1/2 x 10 1/2 inches
    21.6 x 26.7 cm.
  • Herald Nix, Untitled Shuswap Lake, B.C. #41, April, 2016
    Herald Nix
    Untitled Shuswap Lake, B.C. #41, April, 2016
    Oil on birch panel
    8 1/2 x 10 1/2 inches
    21.6 x 26.7 cm.
  • Herald Nix, Untitled Shuswap Lake, B.C. #14, June, 2019
    Herald Nix
    Untitled Shuswap Lake, B.C. #14, June, 2019
    Oil on panel
    8 1/2 x 10 1/2 inches
    21.6 x 26.7 cm.
  • Herald Nix, Untitled Shuswap Lake, B.C. #39, March 21st, 2019
    Herald Nix
    Untitled Shuswap Lake, B.C. #39, March 21st, 2019
    Oil on panel
    8 1/2 x 10 1/2 inches
    21.6 x 26.7 cm.
  • Herald Nix, Untitled Shuswap Lake, B.C. #9, April 15th, 2019
    Herald Nix
    Untitled Shuswap Lake, B.C. #9, April 15th, 2019
    Oil on birch panel
    8 1/2 x 10 1/2 inches
    21.6 x 26.7 cm.
  • Herald Nix, Untitled Shuswap Lake, B.C. #31, March 22nd, 2019
    Herald Nix
    Untitled Shuswap Lake, B.C. #31, March 22nd, 2019
    Oil on panel
    8 1/2 x 10 1/2 inches
    21.6 x 26.7 cm.
  • Martin Werthmann, Silence 87, 2022
    Martin Werthmann
    Silence 87, 2022
    Monotype woodblock print on paper
    41 x 61 inches
    104.1 x 154.9 cm.
  • Martin Werthmann, Silence 76, 2021
    Martin Werthmann
    Silence 76, 2021
    Monotype woodblock print on paper
    41 x 61 inches
    104.1 x 154.9 cm.
  • Martin Werthmann, Silence 78, 2021
    Martin Werthmann
    Silence 78, 2021
    Monotype woodblock print on paper
    41 x 61 inches
    104.1 x 154.9 cm.
  • Martin Werthmann, Silence 68, 2021
    Martin Werthmann
    Silence 68, 2021
    Monotype woodblock print on paper
    79 x 61 inches
    200.7 x 154.9 cm.
  • Martin Werthmann, Silence 84, 2022
    Martin Werthmann
    Silence 84, 2022
    Monotype woodblock print on paper
    51 x 79 inches
    129.5 x 200.7 cm.
  • Martin Werthmann, Untitled No. 1, 2022
    Martin Werthmann
    Untitled No. 1, 2022
    Monotype woodblock print on paper
    60 1/2 x 79 inches
    153.7 x 200.7 cm.
  • Martin Werthmann, Untitled No. 2, 2022
    Martin Werthmann
    Untitled No. 2, 2022
    Monotype woodblock print on paper
    60 1/2 x 79 inches
    153.7 x 200.7 cm.