Harry Gould Harvey IV
Harry Gould Harvey IV, A Monument To The Families That Have Nothing To Offer The State But Their Children (detail), 2021
The title of the 2021 Triennial, Soft Water Hard Stone, is taken from a Brazilian proverb, versions of which are found across cultures:
Água mole em pedra dura, tanto bate até que fura (Soft water on hard stone hits until it bores a hole).
The proverb can be said to have two meanings: if one persists long enough, the desired effect can eventually be achieved; and time can destroy even the most perceptibly solid materials. The title speaks to ideas of resilience and perseverance, and the impact that an insistent yet discrete gesture can have in time. It also provides a metaphor for resistance, as water—a constantly flowing and transient material—is capable of eventually dissolving stone—a substance associated with permanence, but also composed of tiny particles that can collapse under pressure.
Harry Gould Harvey IV, A Monument To The Families That Have Nothing To Offer The State But Their Children (detail), 2021
In this moment of profound change, where structures that were once thought to be stable are disintegrating or on the edge of collapse, the 2021 Triennial recognizes artists re-envisioning traditional models, materials, and techniques beyond established paradigms. Their works exalt states of transformation, calling attention to the malleability of structures, porous and unstable surfaces, and the fluid and adaptable potential of both technological and organic mediums. Throughout the exhibition, artists address the regenerative potential of the natural world and our inseparable relationship to it, and grapple with entrenched legacies of colonialism, displacement, and violence. Their works look back at overlooked histories and artistic traditions, while at the same time look forward toward the creative potential that might give dysfunctional or discarded remains new life. It is through their reconfigurations and reimaginings that we are reminded of not only our temporality, but also our adaptability—fundamental characteristics we share, and that keep us human.
Harry Gould Harvey IV, A Monument To The Families That Have Nothing To Offer The State But Their Children (detail), 2021
Harry Gould Harvey IV lives and works in Fall River, Massachusetts. Recent solo and two-person exhibitions of his work include The Confusion of Tongues!, Bureau, New York, NY (2021); Faith Wilding & Harry Gould Harvey IV, David Winton Bell Gallery, Brown University, Providence, RI (2020); and Harry Gould Harvey IV with Species, Atlanta Contemporary, Atlanta, GA (2018). Harvey’s work has been shown in group exhibitions at Centre d’Art Contemporain Brétigny, Brétigny-sur-Orge, France (2020); LeRoy Neiman Gallery, Columbia University, New York, NY (2020); Hotel Art Pavilion, Brooklyn, NY (2019); and Kunsthalle Wichita, Wichita, Kansas (2019). Harvey is a founder of the curatorial project Pretty Days and co-director of the Fall River Museum of Contemporary Art.
Harry Gould Harvey IV
An Appeal To The Young After Kropotkin Maquette For A Thought, 2021
coloured pencil, charcoal, Xerox and Time Life mailer on mat board, walnut from the Newport Mansions, cast white bronze, MDF
43 3/8 x 33 7/8 x 1 1/2 ins.
110 × 86 × 4 cm.
Harry Gould Harvey IV
A Monument To The Families That Have Nothing To Offer The State But Their Children, 2021
partially stripped and charred church doors from Providence, casting wax, candles, lead organ pipes, job-site heaters from Fall River, scrap metal from Whole Foods, steel angel from New Bedford, cast white bronze and colored pencil on Xerox
dims. variable
Harry Gould Harvey IV
St. Michael of the Apocalypse Slaying The Instinctual Serpent, 2021
colored pencil and charcoal on mat board, cast white bronze, MDF, Black Walnut from the Newport Mansions
43 1/4 x 33 3/4 x 1 5/8 ins.
109.9 x 85.7 x 4.1 cm
“2021 Triennial: Soft Water Hard Stone,” 2021. Exhibition view: New Museum, New York. Photo: Dario Lasagni
“2021 Triennial: Soft Water Hard Stone,” 2021. Exhibition view: New Museum, New York. Photo: Dario Lasagni
“2021 Triennial: Soft Water Hard Stone,” 2021. Exhibition view: New Museum, New York. Photo: Dario Lasagni