Wally Hedrick
The Absence of Light: Black Paintings (1957-2003)
The Box
805 Traction Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90013
April 30 – June 11, 2016

Now on view at The Box, The Absence of Light: Black Paintings (1957-2003) is a solo exhibition of paintings by Wally Hedrick. The exhibition includes War Room (1967/68-2002), which the gallery exhibited previously in 2008. War Room consists of 8 eleven-foot tall canvases, bolted together to form a structure in the center of the exhibition space. War Room is surrounded by 14 of the artist’s black paintings, a series which he began as a protest against the Vietnam War. A number of the paintings on view have been treated to second and third coats of black paint in protest of the Gulf War and the U.S. Occupation of Iraq. Of the series, Hedrick once said “Since there is no way for me to affect any political decision, what I’ll do is I’ll deny Western Culture my contribution.”
 

Vietnam Series XXI – Old Generals Never Die, They Just Send Young People To Their Death (detail), 1966-2002. Oil on canvas. Courtesy of The Box.

Installation view, The Absence of Light: Black Paintings (1957-2003), Wally Hedrick at The Box, Los Angeles, 2016. Courtesy of The Box.

Installation view, The Absence of Light: Black Paintings (1957-2003), Wally Hedrick at The Box, Los Angeles, 2016. Courtesy of The Box.

Burn Me, 1990. Oil on canvas, 26.5 x 36 inches. Courtesy of The Box.

Installation view, The Absence of Light: Black Paintings (1957-2003), Wally Hedrick at The Box, Los Angeles, 2016. Courtesy of The Box.