**Sarah Charlesworth,** *Tabula Rasa*, 1981, white on white silkscreen print, 66 1/2 x 92 1/2 in. (168.9 x 235 cm). © The Estate of Sarah Charlesworth. Courtesy Paula Cooper Gallery, New York. Photo: Steven Probert.

Written by Ava Dettling

A clean slate is what “Tabula Rasa” seeks to evoke.

And that it does. For six weeks this summer, the Paula Cooper Gallery invites visitors to experience “Tabula Rasa” in all its genius. With over thirty works from twenty-two different artists, the exhibition wipes the slate clean of traditional notions of photography and the photographer. Through exploring the passage of knowledge between mentor and mentee, these artists come together to discuss renewal in every sense.

While the exhibition features a number of artists, a few works stand out. Particularly that of Sarah Charlesworth, a Jersey born artist who lived and worked in New York City during the 1970s and 1980s. The exhibition takes its name from one of Charlesworth’s most notable pieces, “Tabula Rasa” (1981), which is pictured above. “Tabula Rasa” perfectly embodies its namesake: while still acknowledging the past, it also creates a space for innovations.

One of the earliest photographs ever taken, “Still Life on Glass” (c. 1829) by Joseph Nicephore Niépce, serves as the inspiration for this piece. After taking this photo from a history book, Charlesworth reproduced it over a white-on-white silkscreen in an homage to the naissance of photography. However, she includes her own touch to this historical piece. At the top right corner sits a lily, tying in the themes of nature in Niépce’s piece. At the bottom right corner sits Charlesworth’s own fingerprint, serving as a symbolic signature and enforcing the presence of modernity. Charlesworth thus shows how photography can be a constant invitation to the past while still paving the way forward for modern advancements.

**Douglas Huebler,** *Duration Piece #4, Paris France, January 1970,* typed and signed statement, annotated map, and twelve black & white photographs, 32 x 40 in. (81.3 x 101.6 cm). © 2024 Estate of Douglas Huebler / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York. Courtesy Paula Cooper Gallery, New York. Photo: Steven Probert.

The exhibition further explores the idea of pedagogical influence through the artwork of Charlesworth’s long-time professor, Douglas Huebler. Heubler, an active artist and photographer throughout the mid-20 th century, used various media to explore conceptual ideas such as the gestalt: where a work of art exists in direct relationship with the viewer to arrange the parts of a piece into a whole, rather than just a series of disparate elements. He often achieved this through documentary photography, as seen above in his piece “Duration Piece #4, Paris France, January” (1970).

“Duration” artfully maps out his social environment through an annotated map, a typed and signed statement, and twelve black and white photographs – each with time stamps narrowing down to a fraction of a second. While appearing in documentarian style, Heubler also evokes elements of the fantastical. Could he really have known that he took that photograph at 11.325 seconds? But herein lies the gestalt of his work. Heubler captures these moments of truth, evident through the elements of real life pictured in his work, but he also leaves much to be imagined. Thus, the viewer is left to question both Heubler’s truth and their own truth, ultimately creating a new truth altogether. In this respect, the spirit of “Tabula Rasa” thrives. Heubler’s anti-documentary style creates a clean slate on which interpretation and renewal of ideas is possible, affording a timeless and ever-evolving nature to his work.

**Deana Lawson,** *Antonette*, 2023, Pigment print, 57 3/4 x 83 inches (146.7 x 210.8 cm). © Deana Lawson, Copyright The Artist, Courtesy the artist; Gagosian, New York; David KordanskyGallery, Los Angeles.

While Charlesworth was a student of Heubler, she met Joseph Kosuth, who soon became her partner and collaborator. As a fellow student of Heubler, Kosuth takes much inspiration from this conceptual fluidity. His piece, “Five Recent Details” (1988), takes a quite literal approach in evoking the gestalt effect. Within five pictures of various mundane places around his home, Kosuth removes a rectangle of the photo, leaving a blank empty space. By removing a detail from within these larger “recent details,” Kosuth similarly engages the viewer to create their own ideas of what might exist there.

**Joseph Kosuth**, *'One and Three Photographs [Ety./Hist.]',* 1965, Photograph, mounted photograph of a photograph and mounted photographic enlargement of dictionary definition of ‘Photography’, left to right: 43 x 64 cm. 43.8 x 64 cm. 61 x 76 cm | left to right: 17 x 25 1/4, 17 1/4 x 25 1/4, 24 x 30 inches. © Copyright Joseph Kosuth / ARS, New York Courtesy of the artist and Sprüth Magers.

The rest of the exhibition continues to portray the multiple threads of influence that stray from these artists, featuring artwork from protégés such as Liz Deschenes, Stephen Prina, and Deana Lawson. The exhibition’s exceptionally experimental nature and spirit of renewal makes for an interesting concluding piece. In fact, “Tabula Rasa” both opens and closes with the same piece: Kosuth’s “One and Three Photographs [Ety./Hist.]” (1965). The first thing the visitor sees when entering the gallery space is a large placard stating the official definition of photography. That is also the last thing one sees when leaving. The viewer is left to question their impression of photography both at the beginning and end of their visit, resulting two possibly very different answers. And with that, “Tabula Rasa” truly wipes the slate clean, inviting visitors to reimagine and renew their understanding of photography.

Jun 24 Tabula Rasa | Paula Cooper Gallery

Jun 24 Nsenga Knight: Close to Home | Queens Museum

Jun 21 RITUAL SUMMER GATHERING + POP-UP SHOW 2024

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