Monya Rowe Gallery is very pleased to present the first solo exhibition by Peter Pezzimenti titled Kings Don’t Mean A Thing.

In this series of sculptures, Pezzimenti isolates each geometrical arrangement of small colored wood blocks with black cardboard; the black paint accentuates each form while acting as a tool for reflecting light. Each wall sculpture proposes a game with abstraction, physicality and perspective. Playfully, yet carefully constructed, each piece gleefully exposes imperfections – uneven lines, accumulations of glue and organic textures in the wood – that are transformed in to perfections that inadvertently dissect the distinction between high and low culture. The artist refers to these works as a “humble anti-masterpiece” – or a reaction to the idea of an original masterpiece, hence the title of the exhibition: Kings Don’t Mean A Thing.

The inspiration for this body of work draws from the pseudo-modernist paintings seen in wealthy homes in 1980’s soap operas; Pezzimenti’s sculptures hark back to the ideals of early modernism by examining the intrinsic qualities associated with this movement: line, form and color while proposing a metaphysical hierarchical breakdown. Harmonious color schemes and flat sculptural arrangements force the viewer to equate the sculptures with the language of painting; akin to the sculptural nuances ushered in Mary Heilman’s (b. 1940) paintings, Pezzimenti’s sculptural executions examine spatial relations, volume, texture and abstract reflection whilst embracing an autonomous freedom.

Peter Pezzimenti received a BFA from the School of Visual Arts, New York. He lives and works in Brooklyn, New York.