White Room: Donald Urquhart

White Columns is pleased to present the first New York solo exhibition of the London-based artist Donald Urquhart. The exhibition consists of a group of Urquhart’s signature ink line-drawings, site specific wall paintings, and a xeroxed publication entitled Donald Urquhart’s Crises – which acts as a kind of coda to the installation. Urquhart’s drawings, which display Beardsley-esque flourishes, juxtapose often highly emotive first-person narratives alongside – often hysterical- imagery derived from popular culture. In his White Room presentation a group of images relate directly to protests organized by the Christian right during The Beatles’ final tour of the U.S.A. (Protests provoked by John Lennon’s now legendary comment that The Beatles were more popular than Jesus.) In 1993 Urquhart founded – with Shelia Tequila and D.J. Harvey – the notorious London club ‘The Beautiful Bend’ with the stated intention to “excite, inspire, offend, educate, have fun, shock, impress, show off, and surprise.” (Emotions, attitudes, and responses that his work continues to wrestle with.) It was in this context – originally as a kind of dÈcor for the club nights – that Urquhart started to show his drawings.

Donald Urquhart lives and works in London, UK. Recent solo shows include: Jack Hanley Gallery, San Francisco; and Herald Street, London (both 2006.) Group shows include: ‘Beck’s Futures’, ICA, London (2005); ‘The Black Album’, Maureen Paley/Interim Art, London (2004). His work was included in ‘Other People’s Projects: Herald Street’ at White Columns in 2005. Urquhart’s book ‘A Present from The Zoo’ was published in 2006 by Schnittraum.

Donald Urquhart’s ‘White Room’ exhibition has been generously supported by the British Council.