Terry Adkins once described his method of repurposing found materials as “potential disclosure,” a process in which the strategic arrangement of objects revealed latent historical or metaphorical associations. For its first exhibition in Zürich, Lévy Gorvy with Rumbler presents Experimenting with Materiality, a consideration of the ways that such gestures of recontextualization manifest in the multimedia work of Adkins, Sonia Gomes, Senga Nengudi, and Carol Rama—artists who, despite working in disparate contexts, found resonant approaches to materiality.

Using quotidian objects as their primary media, each of these artists cultivated a historically-charged practice examining ongoing dialogues pertaining to race, gender, and industry. Engaging parallel assemblage techniques, each artist’s work is rooted in deep spiritualism that allowed them to pursue an art that elevates the base substance of their media through its incorporation into a transcendent whole. Presenting seminal works by these artists, Experimenting with Materiality celebrates the innovation and complexity of their practices.