Charles LeDray's Miniature World of Tools and Mortality at Peter Freeman
From February 21 to April 6, 2019, Peter Freeman, Inc. hosted Charles LeDray's first exhibition in New York in almost ten years. This showcase included miniature creations that delved into themes of labor, abandonment, and human fragility. Among the displayed pieces were Jack Straws (2015-16), featuring tiny bone carvings of common objects, and The Alsen Twins (2015-17), which showcased miniature cement bags set on cinder blocks. The Free Public Library (2015-19) presented over a hundred small books arranged on a concrete sidewalk. The Janitor's Closet (2016-18) included a half-scale pegboard with a mop, positioned near Do Not Enter (Red Carpet) (2018). Life Vest, Hotel Manhattan (2018) addressed mortality, while Eagles Softball (2016-18) illustrated the vulnerability of handmade culture in a digital age.
Key facts
- Charles LeDray's exhibition ran from February 21 to April 6, 2019
- The show was his first New York gallery presentation in nearly ten years
- Jack Straws (2015-16) features 50-60 bone carvings of tools and implements
- Works explore themes of labor, abandonment, class, and mortality
- Concrete appears as both material and metaphor in multiple pieces
- The Janitor's Closet (2016-18) presents a half-scale pegboard with a mop
- Life Vest, Hotel Manhattan (2018) contains a life vest inspected October 9, 1904
- The exhibition addressed threats to handmade culture from digital technology
Entities
Artists
- Charles LeDray
- Jasper Johns
- Robert Taplin
Institutions
- Peter Freeman, Inc.
- artcritical
Locations
- New York City
- United States
- 140 Grand Street
- Crosby Street
- Lafayette Street