Kevin Beasley: A view of a landscape

Dec 15, 2018–Mar 10, 2019

Kevin Beasley (b. 1985, Lynchburg, VA) engages with the legacy of the American South through a new installation that centers on a cotton gin motor from Maplesville, Alabama. In operation from 1940 to 1973, the motor powered the gins that separated cotton seeds from fiber. Here, the New York-based artist uses it to generate sound as if it were a musical instrument, creating space for visual and aural contemplation. Through the use of customized microphones, soundproofing, and audio hardware, the installation divorces the physical motor from the noises it produces, enabling visitors to experience sight and sound as distinct. As an immersive experience, the work serves as a meditation on history, land, race, and labor. This is Beasley’s first solo exhibition at a New York museum, and his most ambitious work to date.

This exhibition is organized by Christopher Y. Lew, Nancy and Fred Poses Curator, with Ambika Trasi, curatorial assistant.

Kevin Beasley: A view of a landscape is part of the Whitney’s emerging artists program, sponsored by

Generous support for this exhibition is provided by Helen Zell.

Significant support is provided by Candy and Michael Barasch, Further Forward Foundation, and Marie-Josée and Henry Kravis.

Additional support is provided by Bill Block, Lonti Ebers, Elise Jaffe and Jeffrey Brown, Miyoung Lee and Neil Simpkins, Gerald and Jody Lippes, Laura Rapp and Jay Smith, Komal Shah and Gaurav Garg, and Jackson Tang.

Curatorial research and travel were funded by Rosina Lee Yue and Bert A. Lies, Jr., MD.

Production support is made possible by Casey Kaplan.

The creation of this work is made possible by a generous contribution from VIA Art Fund.

Performances

Live performances are scheduled throughout the run of this exhibition:

Saturday, January 12
6 pm
Kevin Beasley with Taja Cheek, multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, and vocalist

Saturday, January 26
6 pm, 7 pm, 8 pm
Eli Keszler, artist, composer, and percussionist

Saturday, February 16
6 pm
Kevin Beasley

Saturday, March 2
6 pm, 7 pm, 8 pm
Jlin, electronic musician and producer

Kevin Beasley
1 work in the collection
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Videos

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Essay

Installation view of Kevin Beasley: A view of a landscape, with a cotton gin motor inside of a glass chamber.

Low End Theory

By Christopher Y. Lew, Nancy and Fred Poses Associate Curator

The harvest had happened but some remained, white airy bolls speckling the field amid the trampled branches. This was Kevin Beasley’s first direct encounter with living cotton, on break from graduate school in 2011, during one of his family’s annual summer reunions in Valentines, Virginia, a little more than a hundred miles from the town of Lynchburg where he grew up.

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Perspectives

Kevin Beasley has assembled materials and research related to the installation and sculptures featured in his exhibition. The interviews, articles, videos, and audio works selected by the artist touch on a variety of subjects including art, music, technology, and U.S. history.

Installation photography

Installation view of Kevin Beasley: A View of a Landscape (Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, December 15, 2018–March 10, 2019). Photograph by Ron Amstutz
Kevin Beasley (b. 1985), A view of a landscape: A cotton gin motor, 2012–18 (installation view, Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, December 15, 2018–March 10, 2019). GE induction motor, custom soundproof glass chamber, anechoic foam, steel wire, monofilament, cardioid condenser microphones, contact microphones, microphone stands, microphone cables, and AD/DA interface. Collection of the artist; courtesy Casey Kaplan, New York. Photograph by Ron Amstutz
Kevin Beasley (b. 1985), A view of a landscape: A cotton gin motor, 2012–18 (installation view, Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, December 15, 2018–March 10, 2019). GE induction motor, custom soundproof glass chamber, anechoic foam, steel wire, monofilament, cardioid condenser microphones, contact microphones, microphone stands, microphone cables, and AD/DA interface. Collection of the artist; courtesy Casey Kaplan, New York. Photograph by Ron Amstutz
Kevin Beasley (b. 1985), A view of a landscape: A cotton gin motor, 2012–18 (installation view, Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, December 15, 2018–March 10, 2019). GE induction motor, custom soundproof glass chamber, anechoic foam, steel wire, monofilament, cardioid condenser microphones, contact microphones, microphone stands, microphone cables, and AD/DA interface. Collection of the artist; courtesy Casey Kaplan, New York. Photograph by Ron Amstutz
Kevin Beasley (b. 1985), A view of a landscape: A cotton gin motor, 2012–18 (installation view, Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, December 15, 2018–March 10, 2019). GE induction motor, custom soundproof glass chamber, anechoic foam, steel wire, monofilament, cardioid condenser microphones, contact microphones, microphone stands, microphone cables, and AD/DA interface. Collection of the artist; courtesy Casey Kaplan, New York. Photograph by Ron Amstutz
Kevin Beasley (b. 1985), A view of a landscape: A cotton gin motor, 2012–18 (installation view, Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, December 15, 2018–March 10, 2019). GE induction motor, custom soundproof glass chamber, anechoic foam, steel wire, monofilament, cardioid condenser microphones, contact microphones, microphone stands, microphone cables, and AD/DA interface. Collection of the artist; courtesy Casey Kaplan, New York. Photograph by Ron Amstutz
Kevin Beasley (b. 1985), A view of a landscape: A cotton gin motor, 2012–18 (installation view, Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, December 15, 2018–March 10, 2019). GE induction motor, custom soundproof glass chamber, anechoic foam, steel wire, monofilament, cardioid condenser microphones, contact microphones, microphone stands, microphone cables, and AD/DA interface. Collection of the artist; courtesy Casey Kaplan, New York. Photograph by Ron Amstutz
Kevin Beasley (b. 1985), detail of A view of a landscape: A cotton gin motor, 2012–18 (installation view, Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, December 15, 2018–March 10, 2019). GE induction motor, custom soundproof glass chamber, anechoic foam, steel wire, monofilament, cardioid condenser microphones, contact microphones, microphone stands, microphone cables, and AD/DA interface. Collection of the artist; courtesy Casey Kaplan, New York. Photograph by Ron Amstutz
Kevin Beasley (b. 1985), detail of A view of a landscape: A cotton gin motor, 2012–18 (installation view, Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, December 15, 2018–March 10, 2019). GE induction motor, custom soundproof glass chamber, anechoic foam, steel wire, monofilament, cardioid condenser microphones, contact microphones, microphone stands, microphone cables, and AD/DA interface. Collection of the artist; courtesy Casey Kaplan, New York. Photograph by Ron Amstutz
Kevin Beasley (b. 1985), detail of A view of a landscape: A cotton gin motor, 2012–18 (installation view, Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, December 15, 2018–March 10, 2019). GE induction motor, custom soundproof glass chamber, anechoic foam, steel wire, monofilament, cardioid condenser microphones, contact microphones, microphone stands, microphone cables, and AD/DA interface. Collection of the artist; courtesy Casey Kaplan, New York. Photograph by Ron Amstutz
Kevin Beasley (b. 1985), detail of A view of a landscape: A cotton gin motor, 2012–18 (installation view, Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, December 15, 2018–March 10, 2019). GE induction motor, custom soundproof glass chamber, anechoic foam, steel wire, monofilament, cardioid condenser microphones, contact microphones, microphone stands, microphone cables, and AD/DA interface. Collection of the artist; courtesy Casey Kaplan, New York. Photograph by Ron Amstutz
Kevin Beasley (b. 1985), detail of A view of a landscape: A cotton gin motor, 2012–18 (installation view, Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, December 15, 2018–March 10, 2019). GE induction motor, custom soundproof glass chamber, anechoic foam, steel wire, monofilament, cardioid condenser microphones, contact microphones, microphone stands, microphone cables, and AD/DA interface. Collection of the artist; courtesy Casey Kaplan, New York. Photograph by Ron Amstutz
Kevin Beasley (b. 1985), detail of A view of a landscape: A cotton gin motor, 2012–18 (installation view, Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, December 15, 2018–March 10, 2019). GE induction motor, custom soundproof glass chamber, anechoic foam, steel wire, monofilament, cardioid condenser microphones, contact microphones, microphone stands, microphone cables, and AD/DA interface. Collection of the artist; courtesy Casey Kaplan, New York. Photograph by Ron Amstutz
Kevin Beasley (b. 1985), A view of a landscape: A cotton gin motor, 2012–18 (installation view, Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, December 15, 2018–March 10, 2019). Custom Speaker system, subwoofers, amplifiers, AD/DA interface, Ethernet switch, mixer, modular synthesizer, equipment racks, and wood table. Collection of the artist; courtesy Casey Kaplan, New York. Photograph by Ron Amstutz
Kevin Beasley (b. 1985), A view of a landscape: A cotton gin motor, 2012–18 (installation view, Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, December 15, 2018–March 10, 2019). Custom Speaker system, subwoofers, amplifiers, AD/DA interface, Ethernet switch, mixer, modular synthesizer, equipment racks, and wood table. Collection of the artist; courtesy Casey Kaplan, New York. Photograph by Ron Amstutz
Kevin Beasley (b. 1985), A view of a landscape: A cotton gin motor, 2012–18 (installation view, Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, December 15, 2018–March 10, 2019). Custom Speaker system, subwoofers, amplifiers, AD/DA interface, Ethernet switch, mixer, modular synthesizer, equipment racks, and wood table. Collection of the artist; courtesy Casey Kaplan, New York. Photograph by Ron Amstutz
Kevin Beasley (b. 1985), detail of A view of a landscape: A cotton gin motor, 2012–18 (installation view, Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, December 15, 2018-March 10, 2019). Custom Speaker system, subwoofers, amplifiers, AD/DA interface, Ethernet switch, mixer, modular synthesizer, equipment racks, and wood table. Collection of the artist; courtesy Casey Kaplan, New York. Photograph by Ron Amstutz
Kevin Beasley (b. 1985), A view of a landscape: A cotton gin motor, 2012–18 (installation view, Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, December 15, 2018–March 10, 2019). Custom Speaker system, subwoofers, amplifiers, AD/DA interface, Ethernet switch, mixer, modular synthesizer, equipment racks, and wood table. Collection of the artist; courtesy Casey Kaplan, New York. Photograph by Ron Amstutz
Kevin Beasley (b. 1985), detail of A view of a landscape: A cotton gin motor, 2012–18 (installation view, Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, December 15, 2018–March 10, 2019). Custom Speaker system, subwoofers, amplifiers, AD/DA interface, Ethernet switch, mixer, modular synthesizer, equipment racks, and wood table. Collection of the artist; courtesy Casey Kaplan, New York. Photograph by Ron Amstutz
Kevin Beasley (b. 1985), detail of A view of a landscape: A cotton gin motor, 2012–18 (installation view, Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, December 15, 2018–March 10, 2019). Custom Speaker system, subwoofers, amplifiers, AD/DA interface, Ethernet switch, mixer, modular synthesizer, equipment racks, and wood table. Collection of the artist; courtesy Casey Kaplan, New York. Photograph by Ron Amstutz
Kevin Beasley (b. 1985), A view of a landscape: A cotton gin motor, 2012–18 (installation view, Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, December 15, 2018–March 10, 2019). Custom Speaker system, subwoofers, amplifiers, AD/DA interface, Ethernet switch, mixer, modular synthesizer, equipment racks, and wood table. Collection of the artist; courtesy Casey Kaplan, New York. Photograph by Ron Amstutz
Kevin Beasley (b. 1985), A view of a landscape: A cotton gin motor, 2012–18 (installation view, Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, December 15, 2018–March 10, 2019). Custom Speaker system, subwoofers, amplifiers, AD/DA interface, Ethernet switch, mixer, modular synthesizer, equipment racks, and wood table. Collection of the artist; courtesy Casey Kaplan, New York. Photograph by Ron Amstutz
Kevin Beasley (b. 1985), A view of a landscape: A cotton gin motor, 2012–18 (installation view, Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, December 15, 2018–March 10, 2019). Custom Speaker system, subwoofers, amplifiers, AD/DA interface, Ethernet switch, mixer, modular synthesizer, equipment racks, and wood table. Collection of the artist; courtesy Casey Kaplan, New York. Photograph by Ron Amstutz
Installation view of Kevin Beasley: A View of a Landscape (Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, December 15, 2018–March 10, 2019). From left to right: The Reunion, 2018; Campus, 2018. Photograph by Ron Amstutz
Installation view of Kevin Beasley: A View of a Landscape (Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, December 15, 2018–March 10, 2019). From left to right: Campus, 2018; The Acquisition, 2018. Photograph by Ron Amstutz
Installation view of Kevin Beasley: A View of a Landscape (Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, December 15, 2018–March 10, 2019). From left to right: The Reunion, 2018; Campus, 2018. Photograph by Ron Amstutz
Installation view of Kevin Beasley: A View of a Landscape (Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, December 15, 2018–March 10, 2019). From left to right: The Acquisition, 2018; A view of a landscape: A cotton gin motor, 2012–18. Photograph by Ron Amstutz