[Gallery Walk] 'Double Gemini' Visually Reveals the Duality of Life

Richard Aldrich's First Solo Exhibition in Korea
December 21, Cheongdam-dong Gladstone Gallery

"Although it is a single building, it is designed to feel like completely different spaces. The two figures in the exhibition title 'Double Gemini (Two Gemini Twins)' are expressed through the space."

Richard Aldrich ‘A Mass of Vibrating Forms’ (2023-2024). [Photo by Gladstone Gallery]

The first solo exhibition in Korea by Richard Aldrich, an artist based in New York, USA, titled ‘Double Gemini,’ will be held at Gladstone Gallery in Cheongdam-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, until December 21.

Richard Aldrich, an American artist renowned for his curator-like approach to installation work and recontextualization of objects and ideas, majored in psychology rather than art in college. However, deeply immersed in music, art, and the arts, and admiring the life of an artist more than anyone else, he confesses that he discovered a small room in the corner of a university building that no one used at the time, where he painted alone and nurtured his dream of becoming a full-time artist.

Starting his career as an artist in earnest in 2003, Aldrich gained attention in the art world after presenting small abstract sculptures at the 2010 Whitney Biennial. Since then, he has been building his own new visual language, navigating the boundaries between abstraction and representation.

This exhibition showcases about ten paintings and sculptures created by Aldrich over the past decade, including some new works, all in one place.

Influenced by various references such as popular culture, science fiction novels, art history, and video games, his works create new nonlinear narratives through intricately layered compositions. For example, ‘Without Going Outside of My Door’ (2023-2024) reinterprets elements such as the flag from Childe Hassam’s ‘Avenue in the Rain’ (1917), which hangs in the Oval Office of the White House, the rainbow from Gerhard Richter’s ‘Grey’ series, and elements from the video game ‘World of Warcraft.’ This piece naturally reveals the cultural and autobiographical hints that Aldrich weaves meticulously. Through this method, Aldrich offers viewers a new visual experience using familiar images.

Richard Aldrich. [Photo by Gladstone Gallery]

Focusing on duality, memory, and identity, Aldrich explains that the exhibition title ‘Double Gemini’ symbolizes the duality of life and explores the hidden inner emotions beneath a glamorous exterior. The first-floor exhibition space features works with bright and vibrant colors, creating a lively atmosphere, while the basement floor displays works with relatively dark and monotonous tones that express the artist’s inner anguish and emotions. This contrast vividly realizes Aldrich’s intention to visually convey the two sides of personality.

Additionally, Aldrich explores personal memory and the passage of time through his works, conveying the complexity of emotions. He often incorporates intangible ideas such as ‘memory’ and ‘time’ into his works, providing viewers with room to connect with their own experiences. These themes are closely linked to his working method, and his works encourage viewers to reflect on the past and present, experiencing both personal and universal emotions.

Richard Aldrich Solo Exhibition 'Double Gemini' Exhibition View. [Photo by Gladstone Gallery]

Born in 1975 in Hampton, Virginia, USA, Richard Aldrich is based in New York. He has held solo exhibitions at various institutions, including Fondazione Giuliani in Rome in 2022, Museum Dhondt-Dhaenens in Deinze, Belgium in 2016, San Francisco Museum of Modern Art in 2011, and Contemporary Art Museum, St. Louis in 2011.

His works are held in public collections such as the Museum of Modern Art, New York, Whitney Museum of American Art, San Francisco Museum of Modern Art in California, Dallas Museum of Art in Texas, Whitworth Art Gallery in Manchester, UK, Smithsonian American Art Museum in Washington D.C., and National Museum of Art, Osaka in Japan.