The South London Gallery open a new show of work by Lawrence Weiner

The South London Gallery describes Lawrence Weiner, whose new exhibition All in Due Course opened there last Friday, as a “reluctant pioneer of conceptual art,” which must be one of the coolest epithets going. The American artist has been creating his typographic wall sculptures since the 1970s when he first pioneered his unique medium which he maintains is not conceptualism but a kind of sculpture made using “language + the materials referred to.”

Made predominantly using paint or vinyl, Lawrence covers walls with provocative and ambiguous texts to challenge the assumptions of the viewer. These pieces rely heavily on his careful and deliberate choice of typefaces which naturally highlight “the visual and spatial qualities of any given language,” as the SLG explains. “His work explores structure and translation, using punctuation, colour and a uniquely coded sense of design, to change inflection or tone within the work.”

All in Due Course will be the third time Lawrence has exhibited at the South London Gallery but his first solo show there will continue beyond the confines of the gallery to cover the outside walls as well. The conceptual artist has even created a temporary tattoo for the show, which makes it a winner in our book.

All in Due Course will run at London’s South London Gallery until 23 November 2014. For more information visit our events listing site, This At There.