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In Blood, Sweat, and Tears, artist Summer Wheat’s vibrantly colored paintings depict a community of heroic females doing the “heavy lifting and running things.” Using an inventive process of pushing paint through aluminum mesh, Wheat’s large-scale paintings resemble medieval tapestries showing female figures as hunters, fishers, and beekeepers. These women rewrite historical imagery through themes such as labor, discovery, and expressions of joy where traditionally only men were present.

Introducing the technical progression of Wheat’s work over the last three years and debuting new paintings and drawings, this exhibition further emphasizes the relationship between drawing, painting, and sculpture. Beginning with drawings referencing inspiration from a broad spectrum of art historical references, ranging from Egyptian pictography to Native American imagery, from French Post-Impressionism to American Pop Art, Wheat questions the history of these narratives by proposing a contemporary perspective. She translates these drawings into brilliantly colorful, thickly encrusted paintings that appear almost sculptural as they bend slightly away from the wall like a tapestry. This exhibition is a milestone for Wheat as she continues to be inventive with her process and the reauthoring of everyday life.

Blood, Sweat, and Tears is organized by Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art, Kansas City, Missouri, and curated by Erin Dziedzic, director of curatorial affairs. A full-color catalogue is available in conjunction with this exhibition.

This exhibition has been generously supported by the R. Crosby Kemper Jr. Exhibition Fund.

Sustaining Sponsors
 Christy and Bill Gautreaux

Installation view, Summer Wheat: Blood, Sweat, and Tears, February 6–May 24, 2020, Charlotte Crosby Kemper Gallery,
 Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art, Kansas City, Missouri. © Summer Wheat, courtesy of the artist
 and Shulamit Nazarian, Los Angeles. Photo: E. G. Schempf, 2020

Installation view, Summer Wheat: Blood, Sweat, and Tears, February 6–May 24, 2020, Charlotte Crosby Kemper Gallery,
 Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art, Kansas City, Missouri. © Summer Wheat, courtesy of the artist
 and Shulamit Nazarian, Los Angeles. Photo: E. G. Schempf, 2020

Exhibition Preview

Summer Wheat: Blood, Sweat, and Tears

Summer Wheat, Catch and Release, 2018, acrylic on aluminum mesh, 68 x 96 inches. 
 Collection of Tomokazu Matsuyama. © Summer Wheat, Courtesy of the artist and Shulamit Nazarian, Los Angeles. Photo: Adam Reich