Matt Mullican's 2008-2009 Drawing Center Exhibition Explores Thought Through Over 200 Works

From November 21, 2008, to February 5, 2009, Matt Mullican presented a solo exhibition at The Drawing Center in New York City, featuring more than 200 drawings spanning his career. The show included an untitled 1974 piece with a horizontal line pointing to 'Abstract' and 'Literal,' highlighting his exploration of conceptual limits. Another 1974 drawing depicted a long-haired young man with the caption 'What is this man thinking?,' emphasizing questioning as integral to the work. Mullican's approach conflates images and words to examine how intelligence processes the world, avoiding easy dualities. His symbolism ranges from obscure to easily readable, with later works like the 1990s 'World Frame' series showcasing geometric and architectural drawing skills. Earlier pieces, such as deliberately confused scribbles from 1978, refuse classification of objects. The artist's systems neither remain entirely abstract nor give way to literalism, instead finding a middle ground where knowledge accompanies representation. Mullican asserts that preoccupation with materials and processes clutters the phenomena of interest, focusing on gestalt that energizes and evades his hand. The exhibition occupied The Drawing Center's single large gallery space at 35 Wooster Street, between Grand and Broome, in New York City.