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Ryan Schroeder is someone who is interested in discovery. He always looks into the little things and makes them big. What makes him happy is really going in depth on a subject that really has no significance, and finding something in it. One of the things that he connects to are museums, as they reflect a sense of discovery, and a sense of wonder. He is worried however, that he could do more to help the world, and to make a positive difference.
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Kevin Beasley, On the path to reconciliation, 2022. Polyurethane resin, Philip Guston catalogs, raw Virginia cotton, 13 × 6 1/2 × 10 1/2 inches (33 × 16.5 × 26.7 cm). © Courtesy the artist and Casey Kaplan, New York. Photos: Jason Wyche.
Kevin Beasley, On the path to reconciliation, 2022. Polyurethane resin, Philip Guston catalogs, raw Virginia cotton, 13 × 6 1/2 × 10 1/2 inches (33 × 16.5 × 26.7 cm). © Courtesy the artist and Casey Kaplan, New York. Photos: Jason Wyche
Kevin Beasley, On the path to reconciliation, 2022. Polyurethane resin, Philip Guston catalogs, raw Virginia cotton, 13 × 6 1/2 × 10 1/2 inches (33 × 16.5 × 26.7 cm). © Courtesy the artist and Casey Kaplan, New York. Photos: Jason Wyche
Kevin Beasley, On the path to reconciliation, 2022. Polyurethane resin, Philip Guston catalogs, raw Virginia cotton, 13 × 6 1/2 × 10 1/2 inches (33 × 16.5 × 26.7 cm). © Courtesy the artist and Casey Kaplan, New York. Photos: Jason Wyche
In Kevin Beasley’s On the path to reconciliation, four identical copies of the book “Philip Guston Now” are encased in raw cotton and resin. Even though all four copies are identical, the process of encasement makes them a single object, one giant book. On the bookshelf, all of the other books are unaffected. All are different books on various artists, each one fulfilling the same role the Philip Guston book initially served. However, the book is now depersonalized and obscured. The book is no longer able to be read. Looking carefully from all directions, the books are still recognizably books. Close investigation even reveals the title clearly. But there is a clear effort to hide the book and its contents. The inner two books of the four are completely obscured, both by the other identical copies, as well as the cotton that covers the spine. The cotton plays an important role in actively covering the books. While resin restrains and contains, it is cotton which functions as the obscurer, hiding the word “Now” on every copy but on the spine of one copy, and “Philip Guston” in some way on all.
In his work, Guston covered themes of racism and political satire, using abstract art to criticize groups like the Ku Klux Klan. In 2020, “Philip Guston Now”, a retrospective of the artist’s work, was planned to tour; it was prevented from doing so by all four of the institutions sponsoring the retrospective. The stated reason was a claim to social justice, especially with regards to Guston’s Klan paintings, 24 of which were in the collection. Despite Guston criticizing the Klan, the depiction of the Klan was seen as too much. Stopping the paintings from being shown is only preventing criticism of racism from existing. With the physical copies of the books of the same name, they too are being contained, the message too is being restricted. In this work, the resin and especially the cotton work together to perform the same function as those who canceled the Guston exhibition. However, inside of this concealment, the books are still visible. The titles can still be read, and images can still be seen. It seems that just like in the effort to conceal Guston, the restriction of the books has not been successful. Even though the books cannot be opened, their meaning can still be conveyed. While the body of Guston is restricted, it is still revealed and visible. This censorship is wrong, but it is not complete, and cannot be complete as long as a part is still visible.
