Notes On Ecstatic Unity

Featuring works by:
Dorothy Iannone; Hannah Beerman; Sarah Kim; Tao Siqi; Tsai-Ling Tseng; Gray Wielebinski; Kemar Keanu Wynter; Anthony Peyton Young

"Ecstatic unity" is an idea that is most often associated with the sexually erotic works of Berlin-based artist Dorothy Iannone (b. 1933, Boston; USA). Iannone's concept of "ecstatic unity" was born out of an introduction to Tibetan Buddhist practices in the mid-1980s, which provided a new framework for the artist to consolidate their longstanding interest in: autobiographical writing, narrative painting and the potential for sexual stimulation to induce transcendent states. Since Iannone coined the term, it has came to embody a central component of their work, referring to a practice of daily sensory stimulation, expansive self-reflection and study of human intimacies.

The works on paper (or "notes") included in this exhibition, each respond to, expand upon or challenge the consensus for what ecstatic unity might represent, beyond Iannone's specific style of figuration. Approaching ideas of ecstatic unity from different positions, the artists in this exhibition share a common interest in articulating the ecstatic potential of sensory stimulation, self-knowledge, and social cohesion.