Tyrrell Winston Suicide Squeeze

Exhibitions

Tyrrell Winston
Suicide Squeeze
Oct. 15 - Nov. 30, 2022

Featured Artwork

Louis Buhl & Co. is pleased to present Suicide Squeeze, an exhibition of new works by Detroit-based multimedia artist Tyrrell Winston, whose practice fuels contemporary narratives revolving around sports and their existence within culture. In baseball, the suicide squeeze is a play consisting of a sacrifice bunt with a runner on third base. The batter bunts the ball, expecting to be thrown out at first base, but providing the runner on third base an opportunity to score—“a simple stroke, nothing grand, something personal and intimate,” as Winston describes it, “an action that stays in the infield.” Tapping into this meaning, the exhibition’s title metaphorically speaks to the intimate nature of the showcased work, which includes new “Punishment Paintings” on paper alongside a collection of the artist’s “Reference Sculptures.”

With his "Punishment Paintings," Winston examines ideas of inherent and designated value. Not only is there a value placed on the cultural influence of celebrities, but Winston creates commentary around our obsession of assigning value to immaterial objects. The artist scrutinizes the process of repetitive signing to question how celebrity identities shift based on media and public perspectives, even around actions in their private lives. Through this exploration, Winston questions the appropriateness of these processes and the expectations of perfection with regards to celebritism. This parallels the liberties taken when attempting to assign or withdraw values of artwork and the process of making, throughout the life of artists and their work. Exemplified in Suicide Squeeze, Winston develops the series through the adoption of paper, noting a draw to the foundational material for the immediacy it allows, thus offering a more visceral exploration of mark-making.

Displayed adjacent to the “Punishment Paintings,” Winston’s “Reference Sculptures” indicate his fundamental concern with historical and cultural references across the breadth of his practice. Winston has been creating sculptures in this vein since 2016 upon encountering David Hammons’ 1989 Untitled (Night Train), a sculpture fashioned from liquor bottles collected from the streets and vacant lots of New York. Visually, the work’s arched form influences those of Winston’s modern interpretations, while Hammons’ use of found urban material relates to Winston’s practice at large. Furthering the series’ conceptual framework is the inclusion of artist monographs positioned as the structures’ bases. Pulled from Winston’s personal collection,—evidence of his hand can be detected by mark-ups and highlights throughout—the publications are deeply intimate artifacts that manifest ideas and moments pivotal to his creative growth and identity.

Ultimately, Suicide Squeeze presents two bodies of work that, although visually distinct, provide a look into Winston’s mind, reminding the viewer of the common foundation upon which they are built. Engaging with the energy of those who came before him, whether athletes, celebrities or artists, Winston forges fresh, contemporary dialogues from embedded histories and their intrinsic contexts.

Tyrrell Winston: Suicide Squeeze will be on view at Louis Buhl & Co. from October 15th through November 30th, 2022.

Paintings

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