Now Showing at Abattoir:

Practically Monochrome:

Michelle Grabner, Paul O’Keeffe, Ruth Pastine, Shawn Powell, Maximillian Schubert

September 19 - October 31, 2026
Opening reception with the artists:
Saturday, September 19
5:00 - 7:00 pm

Science and spirituality, absolutism and relativity, idea and object, sensation and perception.

Artists from across the globe have explored the single-colored work for centuries, which can embrace and hold that these contrasting descriptions are equally present and plausible in a single work of art. In recent times, such image production has played a crucial role in bringing the monochrome into critical discourse on the nature of painting itself. In the Western cannon, Suprematism of Kazmir Malevich, form and function at the Bauhaus, Minimalism and Specific Objects, perception and philosophy of California Light and Space, are among these movements.

For Practically Monochrome, Abattoir highlights three gallery artists working in a monochrome mode with one from New York and one from Los Angeles, each motivated by diverse interests. Beyond theory, this installation is designed to activate the gallery space; to have the works interact together and therein to illuminate similarities and differences among them. What defines a painting, or a sculpture are questions that have interested artists making monochromatic works since the mid-20th century, and which are borne out in the work on view. Several artists here challenge traditional formats enhanced by the monochromatic treatment. Yet throughout the show, what seems inflexible may ultimately prove to hold both supposition and doubt.

Contact:
abattoirgallery.com
info@abattoirgallery.com

Hours:
12-5 pm on Fridays and Saturdays,
or by appointment.