Curated by Martin Germann

Unlike many other Pictures-affiliated artists who use photography, James Welling established a deep and remarkably sincere commitment to his primary medium even as he undertook an extensive investigation of its long-standing intermediary role in other artistic practices: Abstract and representational painting and sculpture along with film, architecture, and, more recently, dance have all crucially informed the artist’s oeuvre. The twenty-plus bodies of work spanning more than forty years featured in this show will provide an unrivaled opportunity to consider Welling’s vision of the aesthetic and expressive possibilities of photography, as well as its multimedia entanglements—subjects the artist discusses in a lively conversation with art historian Hal Foster published in the accompanying catalogue. Travels to Kunstforum Wien, May 5–July 16.

— Robert Slifkin