Starkwhite will present Table of Dynasties by John Reynolds at the Hong Kong International Art Fair (ART HK 09) from May 14 – 17 2009. The title of the work is a reference to its organising strategy and a term from Edward Lucie-Smith’s Dictionary of Art Terms, designed to serve as a field guide to the arts. From 'abacus' and 'adhocism', to 'ex-voto' and 'eye-catcher', and 'terrazzo' and 'Ting ware, Ting yao', the book covers the vocabulary of visual art in all its forms. Its entries include non-Western terminology and tracks contemporary approaches to art. Staged as a tableau of 1800 canvas blocks mounded up on a group of table tops, the work will read as a collision of competing words, terms, periods and materials – not unlike the art world itself.
Image: John Reynolds, Table of Dynasties (detail), 2009, oil paint marker on acrylic on canvas