LONDON.- JD Malat Gallery will present Whiplines, Waterfalls and Worms, a solo exhibition by the legendary Post-War West Coast artist Ed Moses (1926 – 2018).

Opening on 4 February 2021, Whiplines, Waterfalls and Worms, presents a dynamic start to the year by bringing together the late works of Ed Moses. Born in Long Beach, California, Moses is renowned for his eclectic body of work which engages with the varying possibilities of abstraction. Moses was among the first generation of artists to be shown at Ferus Gallery, L.A., in 1957, where he started the ‘Cool School’ of artists which included Ed Ruscha, Robert Irwin, Larry Bell, Edward Kienholz, John Altoon, Ken Price and Billy Al Bengston.

Curated in collaboration with the Ed Moses Estate, and accompanied by an essay by Richard Davey, the writer and friend of the late Moses, Whiplines, Waterfalls and Worms unveils the exploratory thread of ‘mark making’ that runs through the work of Moses’ later years.

The exhibition will showcase the incredibly adventurous work from the last two decades of Moses’ life and career. Lines, swirling swathes and crackled layers of paint come together in a series of ‘whiplines, waterfalls and worms’, in an effort to display Moses’ relentless experimentation with form and to underline his role as a ‘mutator’ in the field of abstract art.

In contrast to many of his contemporaries, Moses never followed a distinct framework or style. Moses remarked “I don’t express myself, I’m a mutator, I explore”. Always fascinated by the metaphysical power of painting, Moses created indefinable abstract canvases that embraced process and temporality, which subsequently secured him an experimental and distinctive role in the nascent LA art scene.

As Richard Davey illuminates, the significance of Moses’ work lies in the elemental act of his mark making. While the flourishes of abstract marks across the canvases invoke chaos, they simultaneously declare Moses’ presence and ability to find control through chance and circumstance.

Founder of JD Malat Gallery, Jean-David Malat expressed that “it is truly a pleasure to curate a diverse body of work by such a versatile and widely respected artist. I’ve always been captivated by Ed’s work, but my first real encounter was through his son, Andy Moses, whom I also represent. The art historical significance of Ed Moses is undeniable, and I look forward to sharing that with the public as soon as we can open the gallery again”.

By bringing together the late work of Ed Moses, Whiplines, Waterfalls and Worms, will unveil the continual process of discovery through ‘mark making’ and will enable the public to re-trace Moses’ exploration of the endless possibilities of abstraction.

Moses’ work has been exhibited worldwide with major retrospectives in MOCA Los Angeles in 1996 and The University of California Irvine in 2014. Other prominent collections include, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Hammer Museum, Corcoran Gallery of Art, Whitney Museum of American Art, San Francisco Museum of Modern Art and The Museum of Modern Art, New York.