Dirimart is pleased to announce the New-York based artist Summer Wheat’s second solo show at the gallery, No Rain, No Flowers. The exhibition features a collection of Wheat’s post-pandemic work consisting of paintings and sculptures that chronicle both inner personal and broader cultural changes stemming from the global shutdown at the onset of COVID-19. Drawing attention to the role a deluge of moisture for the colour or scent of a beautiful bloom, the title of the show delves into the intertwinedness and interdependence of suffering and happiness.
No Rain, No Flowers is curated in a manner reminiscent of a garden, showcasing a range of themes in Summer Wheat’s aluminium mesh paintings where thick acrylic paint is extruded through a wire mesh grid using various techniques, including hand paint. This technique, in Wheat’s words, reflects her desire ‘to divide and multiply de Kooning and Seurat and bring them together in the same painting.’
The show explores individual and collective human experiences drawn from both historical and contemporary sources through various references, including Renaissance etchings, modernist abstractions, ancient art and medieval tapestries, European impressionist cafe scenes, ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs, and social media influencers. While paintings call for a wandering experience in nature, four mosaic sculptures, designed for seating, create space for community and communication within a natural scene, reversing the activity of collecting stones by hand; this time, stones offer a place for humans to sit, like an open palm extended in welcome.
Drawing inspiration from the rise of online beauty trends, influencer culture, and the intense nature of public discourse, Wheat, in her artworks, depicts the female figures as both literal and metaphorical ‘prophets’. The symbolism tied to nature, fertility, and nurturing invites us to engage with themes of self-perception, materialism, public discourse, and growth in a way that encourages both introspection and collective dialogue about the complex forces shaping identity in today’s world. At the same time, it persistently emphasises communication and the untamed wonder, wander, and wildness both in human beings and nature itself. Exploring the concept of self-reflection and reciprocity, ego’s thoughts and visions during a meditative state, No Rain, No Flowers reveals the contrast between modern spaces and the natural world, which speaks to the ongoing search for balance and meaning amid the noise of contemporary life.
No Rain, No Flowers will be on view at Dirimart Pera from 14 March to 13 April 2025.
