The exhibition will be the first career spanning exhibition and publication of U of I alumnus Fishman’s works on paper from 1964 to the present, including more than 100 works from the artist’s archive that have rarely been exhibited alongside significant institutional and private loans.
Citing John Cage’s response in 1965 to the question, “what is drawing?” A Question of Emphasis encompasses collage, oil and wax, thread, acrylic text, ink, charcoal, printmaking, oil stick, watercolor, and tempera in Japanese-bound Leporello (accordion) books. This full range of mediums foregrounds Fishman’s robust and dedicated practice of works on paper, which have never been studies for her large canvases. Instead, Fishman has used drawing to think through physicality, materials, and intimacy on a different register: generally small- and medium- scale, often sculptural and tactile, and aligned to her particular historical contexts and her communities.
More information on the Henry Luce Foundation grant: Luce Foundation Awards Nearly $9M in New Grants
