ARTFEED — Contemporary Art Intelligence

Adam Pendleton's 'Can I Be?' at Langen Foundation explores Black Dada and abstraction

exhibition · 2026-04-20

Langen Foundation is hosting Adam Pendleton's solo exhibition 'Can I Be?', which delves into abstraction, language, and history through a critical framework he calls 'Black Dada'. This approach, initiated in 2008, examines connections between Blackness, abstraction, and avant-garde traditions. Pendleton's paintings disrupt linear composition with layered gestures, fragments, and forms, blending expressionistic touches with Minimalist and Conceptual precision. The show opens with a large black pavilion featuring his video work 'Toy'. Known for redefining abstraction in contemporary American art, Pendleton creates works marked by stark contrasts and subtle materiality.

Key facts

  • Adam Pendleton's exhibition 'Can I Be?' is at Langen Foundation
  • The exhibition explores abstraction, language, and history
  • Pendleton's 'Black Dada' framework started in 2008
  • 'Black Dada' examines Blackness, abstraction, and avant-gardes
  • His paintings use layered gesture, fragment, and form
  • Works combine expressionistic flourishes with Minimalist precision
  • The show opens with a black pavilion containing video 'Toy'
  • Pendleton is a central figure in contemporary American art

Entities

Artists

  • Adam Pendleton

Institutions

  • Langen Foundation

Sources