Little Boat, 2022

Phaidon and Artspace are proud to announce Little Boat, a new sculptural edition by groundbreaking conceptual artist Rashid Johnson. Little Boa t comprises a series of 40 cast bronzes, hand-carved, embedded with shells, patinated in black ink, and signed by the artist.

The edition is inspired by Johnson’s current Hauser & Wirth, Menorca, show where, alongside his Seascape paintings, he is exhibiting boats that function as fire pits. The Little Boat bronze editions share a similar characteristic in that there is a fire component – they function as incense burners. Carved references to Johnson’s well-known Anxious Men series also link the edition to the broader scope of his practice. Little Boat reflects Johnson’s interest in the utility of art, which can be traced back to his earliest work: the iconic wall-mounted shelf sculptures that held objects such as incense, shea butter, and vinyl records, embodying layered significance as talismans, gestures, and practical tools simultaneously.

Of the new edition Johnson says: “I want people to bring them to life. I want to see them used and to see them activated. So often art keeps us at bay. And this an attempt to give you some agency.”

Little Boat is presented in partnership with the 2022 TWO x TWO for AIDS Art Gala and Auction, for which Rashid Johnson has been named this year’s artist honoree. Proceeds from the sale of this limited edition will benefit the Dallas Museum of Art and amfAR, The Foundation for AIDS Research.

“TWO by TWO’s ability to facilitate the access to these acquisitions, as well as making the museum more accessible to communities who have struggled to get access to cultural institutions in the past, matters to me,” says Johnson. “I’m a huge believer in how cultural institutions can inform us. My love for art was born from school trips I took as a young student.”

Rashid Johnson (b. 1977, Chicago) composes searing meditations on race and class while establishing an organic formal vocabulary that fuses a variety of sculptural and painterly traditions. Johnson was one of six artists commissioned in 2022 by the Queens Museum, New York, and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey to create a site-specific, permanent installation for Delta Airlines’ new terminal at the LaGuardia Airport in Queens, New York. In 2021, the Metropolitan Opera, New York, commissioned Johnson to create large-scale artworks for its opera house, and a major outdoor sculpture by Johnson was installed at Storm King Art Center, New Windsor, New York. His work is in the permanent collections of the Museum of Modern Art, New York; The Metropolitan Museum, New York; the Whitney Museum of American Art, New York; the Guggenheim Museum, New York; Los Angeles County Museum of Art; and the Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago among many others. His first feature-length film, an adaptation of Richard Wright’s Native Son, premiered at the Sundance Film Festival and was released on HBO in 2019. Johnson lives and works in New York.

All our frames are manufactured in the USA, using eco-friendly and sustainably sourced engineered hardwood for durability and a uniform finish that is free of defects. Frames are available in Black or White Satin and Honey Pecan.

All prints are hinged to a conservation quality, acid-free and lignin-free Alpha Cellulose matboard, using an acid-free linen tape. The mat's surface paper is fade and bleed resistant and is attached to a conservation quality foam-core mounting board that will keep the work safe from deterioration over time. Artworks with a deckled or decorative edges will be floated on the matboard, with acrylic spacers to separate the art from the glazing. All mounting is fully reversible, without any potential damage to the art.

All of our frames come with picture quality .090 mm plexiglass, which blocks 66% of UV to prevent color fading from exposure to light, keeping your art protected for years to come. It is now considered the industry standard for artists, museums and galleries throughout the world.

For images up to 30" x 40"

• 1 1/4” wide, 3/4” deep, with a 2 1/2” wide mat.
• We generally leave 1/4” - 1/2” of paper showing around the image, to accommodate signatures and for visual appeal.

For sheet sizes larger than 30” x 40" please contact an Artspace advisor for a custom quote.

Our art editions ship in 7 to 10 business days from New York.

Our framed art editions ship in 11 to 14 business days from New York.

This work is eligible for return within 30 days of receipt of delivery.

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Contact an Artspace Advisor at advisor@artspace.com