Minus Space is an art gallery located in Dumbo, Brooklyn, NY. It specializes in abstract art and reductive art.

History

Minus Space began as an online

curator A curator (from la, cura, meaning "to take care") is a manager or overseer. When working with cultural organizations, a curator is typically a "collections curator" or an "exhibitions curator", and has multifaceted tasks dependent on the parti ...

ial and critical project presenting reductive and concept based art. Reductive art includes

geometric abstraction Geometric abstraction is a form of abstract art based on the use of geometric forms sometimes, though not always, placed in non-illusionistic space and combined into non-objective (non-representational) compositions. Although the genre was pop ...

, artwork that deals with repetition,

monochrome A monochrome or monochromatic image, object or palette is composed of one color (or values of one color). Images using only shades of grey are called grayscale (typically digital) or black-and-white (typically analog). In physics, monochr ...

or limited color,

seriality {{see also, Seriality (gender studies) A seriality is a social construct which differs from a mere group of individuals. Serialities take the form of labels which are either imposed onto persons or voluntarily adopted by them. A seriality can be "u ...

.''Neighborhood Beat'': Profile on Minus Space & Michael Brennan, BCAT / Brooklyn Community Access Television, January 25, February 14, February 19, and February 23, 2007, Episode 31 and minimalism. It is also characterized by the use of plain-spoken materials, precise craftsmanship and intellectual rigor.''Minus Space: The Art of Reduction'', P.S. 1 Newspaper, Fall / Winter 2008, p. 2. It was launched as an online curatorial project in August 2003 by Brooklyn

artist An artist is a person engaged in an activity related to creating art, practicing the arts, or demonstrating an art. The common usage in both everyday speech and academic discourse refers to a practitioner in the visual arts only. However, t ...

s Matthew Deleget and Rossana Martinez, and gradually developed into a showcase for dozens of artists. They began by putting portfolios and curating exhibitions online. Minus Space published interviews of artists, reviews and critical essays. At this point project was only online, literally ''minus space''. Minus Space then started to produce physical exhibitions in their Brooklyn project space. These included one person shows of abstract painting, installations and

performance art Performance art is an artwork or art exhibition created through actions executed by the artist or other participants. It may be witnessed live or through documentation, spontaneously developed or written, and is traditionally presented to a pu ...

.Minus Space, home page. 17 June 2008. In addition they began to curate exhibitions nationally and internationally at

universities A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase ''universitas magistrorum et scholarium'', which ...

, galleries, artist-run spaces and nonprofit spaces located in

Manhattan Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five Boroughs of New York City, boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the List of co ...

; St. Mary's City, Maryland;

Sydney, Australia Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and List of cities in Oceania by population, Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metro ...

; Houston, Texas;''Machine Learning'', exhibition catalog, The Boyden Gallery of St. Mary's College of Maryland, The Painting Center, Gallery Sonja Roesch and Minus Space, 2007. inside cover.

Brussels, Belgium Brussels (french: Bruxelles or ; nl, Brussel ), officially the Brussels-Capital Region (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) (french: link=no, Région de Bruxelles-Capitale; nl, link=no, Bruss ...

. Minus Space opened their initial gallery space at 98 Fourth Street in Gowanus in April 2006.Maine, Stephen. “The Reductive Expands: Minus Space will move from 175 feet in Gowanus to a Dumbo loft”, Artcritical, September 12, 2011. In September 2011, they relocated to a gallery-filled building at 111 Front Street in Dumbo.

Hyperallergic ''Hyperallergic'' is an online arts magazine, based in Brooklyn, New York. Founded by the art critic Hrag Vartanian and his husband Veken Gueyikian in October 2009, the site describes itself as a "forum for serious, playful, and radical thinking ...

selected the Minus Space exhibition ''Roberta Allen: Works from the 1970s'' as "Best of 2014: Top 10 Brooklyn Art Shows."

Exhibitions and curatorial projects

In 2008,

MoMA PS1 MoMA PS1 is a contemporary art institution located in Court Square in the Long Island City neighborhood in the borough of Queens, New York City. In addition to its exhibitions, the institution organizes the Sunday Sessions performance series, the ...

exhibited ''Minus Space – The Art of Reduction'', a survey of 54 artists from 14 countries affiliated with Minus Space. The exhibition was curated by

Phong Bui Phong H. Bui (born September 17, 1964, in Huế, Vietnam) is an artist, writer, independent curator, and Co-Founder and Artistic Director of ''The Brooklyn Rail,'' a free monthly arts, culture, and politics journal. Bui was named one of the "100 ...

publisher Publishing is the activity of making information, literature, music, software and other content available to the public for sale or for free. Traditionally, the term refers to the creation and distribution of printed works, such as books, newsp ...

of the Brooklyn Rail and P.S. 1 curatorial advisor. The exhibition marked the 5th anniversary of Minus Space. In 2008 Minus Space also curated an exhibit to ''re-present'' abstract shaped canvas paintings as new, made by Mark Dagley first shown with Tony Shafrazi Gallery 20 years earlier in 1987. Most of the exhibition of was painted in William S. Burroughs Bunker in the

Bowery The Bowery () is a street and neighborhood in Lower Manhattan in New York City. The street runs from Chatham Square at Park Row, Worth Street, and Mott Street in the south to Cooper Square at 4th Street in the north.Jackson, Kenneth L. ...

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the U ...

. They curated a traveling exhibition ''

Machine Learning Machine learning (ML) is a field of inquiry devoted to understanding and building methods that 'learn', that is, methods that leverage data to improve performance on some set of tasks. It is seen as a part of artificial intelligence. Machine ...

'' which was shown at the Boyden Gallery of St. Mary's College of Maryland, The Painting Center in New York City, Gallery Sonja Roesch in Houston, TX in 2007 and 2008. The title of the exhibition was inspired by a subfield of

artificial intelligence Artificial intelligence (AI) is intelligence—perceiving, synthesizing, and inferring information—demonstrated by machine A machine is a physical system using Power (physics), power to apply Force, forces and control Motion, moveme ...

concerned with the design and development of

algorithms In mathematics and computer science, an algorithm () is a finite sequence of rigorous instructions, typically used to solve a class of specific problems or to perform a computation. Algorithms are used as specifications for performing ...

that allow computers to ''learn''. Machine learning algorithms recognize patterns within massive sets of data. Real world applications include the

internet The Internet (or internet) is the global system of interconnected computer networks that uses the Internet protocol suite (TCP/IP) to communicate between networks and devices. It is a ''internetworking, network of networks'' that consists ...

search engine A search engine is a software system designed to carry out web searches. They search the World Wide Web in a systematic way for particular information specified in a textual web search query. The search results are generally presented in a ...

. This exhibition examined new pattern painting in the information age. Minus Space organized the group exhibition, Escape from New York, which originated at Sydney Non Objective, Sydney, Australia, in 2007, later traveled to Curtin University in

Perth Perth is the list of Australian capital cities, capital and largest city of the Australian states and territories of Australia, state of Western Australia. It is the list of cities in Australia by population, fourth most populous city in Aust ...

in 2008, Project Space Spare Room, RMIT University in Melbourne in 2009, and then to The Engine Room,

Massey University Massey University ( mi, Te Kunenga ki Pūrehuroa) is a university based in Palmerston North, New Zealand, with significant campuses in Albany and Wellington. Massey University has approximately 30,883 students, 13,796 of whom are extramural o ...

, Wellington, New Zealand in 2010. In 2009, Minus Space exhibited album covers designed by Josef Albers along with ephemera and documentation from the Josef and Anni Albers Foundation demonstrating the record jackets as firsthand projects in abstract applied art. In 2011, Minus Space exhibited a collection of vintage issues of

Life (magazine) ''Life'' was an American magazine published weekly from 1883 to 1972, as an intermittent "special" until 1978, and as a monthly from 1978 until 2000. During its golden age from 1936 to 1972, ''Life'' was a wide-ranging weekly general-interest ma ...

representing the magazine's historical coverage of modern art, including the 1949 article, “

Jackson Pollock Paul Jackson Pollock (; January 28, 1912August 11, 1956) was an American painter and a major figure in the abstract expressionist movement. He was widely noticed for his " drip technique" of pouring or splashing liquid household paint onto a ho ...

: Is he the greatest living painter in the United States?,” alongside works by the artist

Loren Munk The artist Loren Munk (born 1951) is primarily known for his YouTube nickname James Kalm as an uploader of videos about New York exhibitions, amongst others. He presents himself as a maker of contemporary art, contemporary paintings for several ...

addressing both the history of New York School (art) and the field of

art criticism Art criticism is the discussion or evaluation of visual art. Art critics usually criticize art in the context of aesthetics or the theory of beauty. A goal of art criticism is the pursuit of a rational basis for art appreciation but it is ques ...

. In 2013, Minus Space organized, in collaboration with artist John Zinsser, a large survey exhibition examining the history and legacy of gallerist Julian Pretto (1945-1995) and his downtown New York galleries, active during the mid-1970s through the mid-1990s. The exhibition featured the work of more than 40 national and international artists in an array of different media, including painting, drawing, sculpture, installation, video, and poetry.

Artists

Represented artists and estates:Minus Space. 1 April 2015. * Roberta Allen * Hartmut Böhm * Sharon Brant * Michael Brennan * Bibi Calderaro * Vincent Como * Mark Dagley *

Julian Dashper Julian Dashper (29 February 1960 in Auckland, New Zealand – 30 July 2009), was regarded as one of New Zealand's most well known contemporary artists. In 2001 he was awarded a senior Fulbright fellowship to be based as an artist in residence at ...

* Gabriele Evertz * Linda Francis * Cris Gianakos * Daniel Göttin * Julio Grinblatt *

Lynne Harlow Lynne Harlow (b.1968 Attleboro, MA) is an artist who creates sculptural installations of color, light and space. Major exhibitions Harlow has exhibited her work nationally and internationally for the past decade, including in the United States, Me ...

* Gilbert Hsiao * Ward Jackson * Kyle Jenkins * Russell Maltz * John Nixon * Carrie Pollack * Leslie Roberts * Michael Rouillard * Erik Saxon * Robert Swain * Tilman * Li Trincere * Jan van der Ploeg * Sanford Wurmfeld Minus Space has also exhibited work by Josef Albers, Rene Pierre Allain,Pobric, Pac. “Julian Pretto Gallery”, The Brooklyn Rail, October 3, 2013. Taka Amano, Carl Andre, Stephen Antonakos, Robert Barry (artist), Tom Brazelton, Farrell Brickhouse,

Rosemarie Castoro Rosemarie Castoro (born in Brooklyn, New York, United States; 1939 – 2015) was an American artist associated with the New York Minimalists. She worked in drawing, painting, sculpture, and other media. She was associated with Minimalism, Conce ...

, Peter Downsbrough, Kathy Drasher,

Anoka Faruqee Anoka Faruqee (born 1972) is a Bangladeshi descent American painter, born in Ann Arbor, MI to Bangladeshi parents. In 2011 Faruqee was appointed associate professor of painting and printmaking at Yale University. She earned her BA from Yale in 199 ...

,Micchelli, Thomas. "Confounding the Eye: 'Breaking Pattern' at Minus Space", Hyperallergic, March 28, 2015. Gail Fitzgerald,

Suzan Frecon Suzan Frecon (born 1941 in Mexico, Pennsylvania) is a contemporary artist who lives and works in New York. She is represented by Lawrence Markey, San Antonio and David Zwirner, New York. Frecon received a BFA from Pennsylvania State University, ...

, Michelle Grabner, Christian Haub,

Nancy Haynes Nancy Haynes (born 1947) is an artist living and working in New York. She was born in Connecticut and shares her time between living in New York City and the Huerfano Valley in Colorado. Paintings Haynes is a conceptual artist. Her art-historic ...

, Marcia Hafif, Betsy Kaufman,

Melissa Kretschmer Melissa Kretschmer (born 1962, Santa Monica, California) is an American contemporary artist known for her hybrid sculpture/painting works.Tom McGlynn. ''After, Ever After.'' The Brooklyn Rail. November 2016. She has exhibited extensively both natio ...

, Gary Lang,

Ellen Lanyon Ellen Lanyon (December 21, 1926 – October 7, 2013) was a painter and printmaker from Chicago, Illinois. She received her BFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC), her MFA from the University of Iowa School of Art and Art ...

, Christopher Lea, Julian Lethbridge, Daniel Levine, Sol LeWitt, Tom Martinelli, Douglas Melini, Gregory Montreuil, Olivier Mosset, Victoria Munro, Mary Obering, Antonella Piemontese, Donald Powley, Lucio Pozzi, Daniel Reynolds, Stephen Rosenthal, Michael Scott, DM Simons, Phil Sims, Cary Smith,

Ted Stamm Ted Stamm (1944-1984) was an American minimalist and conceptualist artist. Biography Ted Stamm grew up in Freeport, New York. He graduated from Hofstra University with a Bachelors of Fine Art, and moved to Soho in downtown Manhattan. His studio ...

, Steven Steinman, Ted Victoria, Merrill Wagner, Oliver Wasow,

Stephen Westfall Stephen Westfall (born 1953 Schenectady, New York) is an American painter, critic, and professor at Rutgers University and Bard College. Biography When Stephen Westfall was an adolescent, he was fascinated by the social spaces created by archi ...

. Robert Yasuda, and John Zinsser

Presence online

Minus Space has a space on the internet enabling it to collaborate with other institutions.MacAdam, Barbara A. “Tilman”, ''ARTnews'', Jan 2008: 132. The web site has an online log that functions as a

web portal A web portal is a specially designed website that brings information from diverse sources, like emails, online forums and search engines, together in a uniform way. Usually, each information source gets its dedicated area on the page for displa ...

for information on exhibitions of reductive art internationally. There is also a comprehensive directory of related web sites for reductive art including galleries, museums and related publications, a directory of artists affiliated with Minus Space, and also artist interviews. Minus Space maintains a comprehensive

chronology Chronology (from Latin ''chronologia'', from Ancient Greek , ''chrónos'', "time"; and , '' -logia'') is the science of arranging events in their order of occurrence in time. Consider, for example, the use of a timeline or sequence of events. ...

of reductive and concept-based art. The chronology includes major events, exhibitions, and writings in the development of reductive and concept-based art in

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a subcontinent of Eurasia and it is located enti ...

, South and North America from 1800 to date.

Footnotes

References

* MacAdam, Barbara A. “Tilman”, ''ARTnews'', Jan 2008: 132. * Maine, Stephen. “Dateline Brooklyn”, ''Artnet Magazine'', April 15, 2005. * Kalm, James. "A Boom Grows in Brooklyn", ''The Brooklyn Rail'', July 2004.
''Neighborhood Beat'': Profile on Minus Space & Michael Brennan
BCAT / Brooklyn Community Access Television, Jan. 25, Feb. 14, Feb. 19 & Feb. 23, 2007, Episode 31 * ''Machine Learning'', exhibition catalog, The Boyden Gallery of St. Mary's College of Maryland, The Painting Center, Gallery Sonja Roesch and Minus Space, 2007. Essay by Matthew Deleget. * ''Mark Dagley'', exhibition catalog, Minus Space, Abaton Book Company, 2008. Essays by Matthew Deleget and Nora Griffin, interview by

Don Voisine Don Voisine (born 1952 in Fort Kent, Maine) is an American abstract painter living in the Williamsburg neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York, USA. In the fall of 2016, "X/V," a 15 year survey of his work, was organized by thCenter for Maine Contempo ...

. {{ISBN, 0-9677326-9-7 * Minus Space. 17 June 2008. * ''Minus Space: The Art of Reduction'', P.S. 1 Newspaper, Fall / Winter 2008, p. 2.

External links

Minus Space

Robert Swain">Conversation with artist Robert Swain (artist), Robert Swain
on the occasion of his new exhibitioin ''Immersive Color'' at Minus Space 2021 Arts organizations established in 2003 Contemporary art galleries in the United States Art websites Virtual museums Art museums and galleries in Brooklyn