Tara Downs

Nov 08 – Dec 22, 2019

96 Bowery, Floor 2

Friends

Alan Belcher

Exhibition view of Alan Belcher: Friends, 2019. Downs & Ross, New York.

Alan Belcher, Alice, 1996. Acrylic plush stuffed with polyester fiberfill, 19 × 18 × 12 inches / 48,3 × 45,7 × 30,5 cm; elements: soccer ball, papaya, tongue, gall bladder, brain, Panama banana bunch, earthworm (based on Earthworm Jim), pine cone

Alan Belcher, Olivia, 1997. Acrylic plush stuffed with polyester fiberfill, 17 × 18 × 19 inches / 43,2 × 45,7 × 48,3 cm; elements: human heart, chow dog satellite, rhino horn, Tide XK plastic bottle, two stuffed olives

Exhibition view of Alan Belcher: Friends, 2019. Downs & Ross, New York.

Alan Belcher, Robin, 1996. Acrylic plush stuffed with polyester fiberfill, 28 × 22 × 12 inches / 71,1 × 55,9 × 30,5 cm; elements: magic mushroom, gall bladder, chow dog satellite, flat basketball, intestine, homo milk bag tag

Exhibition view of Alan Belcher: Friends, 2019. Downs & Ross, New York.

Alan Belcher, Fern, 1996. Acrylic plush stuffed with polyester fiberfill, 18 × 22 × 18 inches / 45,7 × 55,9 × 45,7 cm; elements: liver, four-leaf clover, depth-charge bomb, spermatozoon

Exhibition view of Alan Belcher: Friends, 2019. Downs & Ross, New York.

Alan Belcher, Costa, 1996. Acrylic plush stuffed with polyester fiberfill, 22 × 15 × 11 inches / 55,9 × 38,1 × 27,9 cm; elements: brain, depth-charge bomb, toilet paper roll

Alan Belcher. Sabine, 1997. Acrylic plush stuffed with polyester fiberfill, 18 × 27 × 19 inches / 45,7 × 68,6 × 48,2 cm; elements: ginger root, Dixie Kong’s helicopter hair, tiger penis, upset stomach, Concord grapes

Exhibition view of Alan Belcher: Friends, 2019. Downs & Ross, New York.

Alan Belcher, Felix, 1996. Acrylic plush stuffed with polyester fiberfill, 49 × 27 × 12 inches / 124,5 × 68,6 × 30,5 cm; elements: ginger root, Bic pen cap, geo-rhomboid, brain, black bear gall bladder

Exhibition view of Alan Belcher: Friends, 2019. Downs & Ross, New York.

Alan Belcher, Fred, 1997. Acrylic plush stuffed with polyester fiberfill, 17 × 16 × 19 inches / 43,2 × 40,6 × 48,3 cm; elements: toilet paper, stomach, heart, depth-charge bomb, cow’s udder full of milk, hot dog links, tongue

Alan Belcher, Stephen, 1996. Acrylic plush stuffed with polyester fiberfill, 12 × 29 × 19 inches / 30,5 × 73,6 × 48,3 cm; elements: panama bananas, Tide XK bottle, brain, tiger penis, Nintendo 64 logo

Exhibition view of Alan Belcher: Friends, 2019. Downs & Ross, New York.

Alan Belcher, Lenny, 1996. Acrylic plush stuffed with polyester fiberfill, 14 × 31 × 15 inches / 35,5 × 78,7 × 38,1 cm; elements: ginger root, frog leg, human heart, polyhedron

Exhibition view of Alan Belcher: Friends, 2019. Downs & Ross, New York.

Alan Belcher, Mundy, 1996. Acrylic plush stuffed with polyester fiberfill, 9 × 40 × 28 inches / 22,8 × 101,6 × 71,1 cm; elements: double-yolk fried egg, computer mouse, polyhedron

Alan Belcher, Romeo, 1996. Acrylic plush stuffed with polyester fiberfill, 17 × 17 × 19 inches / 43,2 × 43,2 × 48,3 cm; elements: beef steak, bear claw, Buddhist flag, polyhedron

Exhibition view of Alan Belcher: Friends, 2019. Downs & Ross, New York.

Alan Belcher, Alessandra, 1996. Acrylic plush stuffed with polyester fiberfill, 15 × 21 × 17 inches / 38,1 × 53,3 × 43,2 cm; elements: soccer ball, four-leaf clover, tongue, Chiquita banana bunch

Exhibition view of Alan Belcher: Friends, 2019. Downs & Ross, New York.

Alan Belcher, Jenny, 1996. Acrylic plush stuffed with polyester fiberfill, 19 × 18 × 17 inches / 48,3 × 45,7 × 43,2 cm; elements: Aspirin, turtle shell, ham bone, gourds, citrus half, nose of a hound, Bic pen cap

Alessandra
Alessandra Nardini, Stoney Creek
cosmetologist, Italian
friend of Lenny
elements: soccer ball, four-leaf clover, tongue, Chiquita banana bunch

Alice
Alice Albert, New York
photo editor, blonde
from the Parsons gang
elements: soccer ball, papaya, tongue, gall bladder, brain, Panama banana bunch, earthworm (based on Earthworm Jim), pine cone

Costa
Costa Pappas (deceased)
Gennero Palermo’s boyfriend (deceased)
close friend of Greer Lankton (deceased)
subject of Nan Goldin’s camera, gorgeous
elements: brain, depth-charge bomb, toilet paper roll

Felix
Felix Partz
one third of General Idea
passed away June 5, 1994 / greatly missed
elements: ginger root, Bic pen cap, geo-rhomboid, brain, black bear gall bladder

Fern
Fern Bayer, Toronto
art historian
loved Felix
elements: liver, four-leaf clover, depth-charge bomb, spermatozoon

Fred
Fred Hawryliw, Toronto / Honolulu
revenue properties, hotel resident
elements: toilet paper, stomach, heart, cow's udder full of milk, hot dog links, tongue
 
Jenny
Jennifer Bolande, Los Angeles / Joshua Tree
Nature Morte core
Cannon Hudson’s spouse
elements: Aspirin, turtle shell, ham bone, gourds, citrus half, nose of a hound, Bic pen cap

Lenny
Lenny McGeachie, Toronto
hair stylist, vegan, gay dad
friend of Alessandra
elements: ginger root, frog leg, human heart, polyhedron

Mundy
Mundy McLaughlin, Toronto
founding member of Group Material
writer, retired diversity lawyer
elements: double-yolk fried egg, computer mouse, polyhedron
 
Olivia
Olivia Harris, Santa Barbara
worked with Peter and Alan at Betatron before Nature Morte
ex-casting agent, avocado grower
elements: human heart, chow dog satellite, rhino horn, Tide XK plastic bottle, two stuffed olives  

Robin
Robin Weglinski, New York
Nature Morte background partner and archivist
from the Parsons gang
elements: magic mushroom, gall bladder, chow dog satellite, flat basketball, intestine, homo milk bag tag 

Romeo
gallerist Jack Shainman’s bull terrier (deceased)
elements: beef steak, bear claw, Buddhist flag, polyhedron 

Sabine 
Sabine Böbbis, Hamburg
costume designer for film
speaks Kölsch
elements: ginger root, Dixie Kong's helicopter hair, tiger penis, upset stomach, Concord grapes

Stephen
Stephen Andrews, Toronto
artist / horticulturist / hiker / lender
elements: Panama bananas, Tide XK bottle, brain, tiger penis, Nintendo 64 logo

The work of Alan Belcher (b. 1957, Toronto; lives and works in Toronto) has been the subject of solo exhibitions at Le Consortium, Dijon; greengrassi, London; Vie d’Ange, Montreal; Beauty Supply, Toronto; MKG127, Toronto; Marlborough Contemporary, New York; Spiral Garden, Wacoal Art Center, Tokyo; The Suburban, Oak Park, Illinois; Galerie Lange + Pult, Zurich; Studio Guenzani, Milano; Jack Shainman Gallery, New York; White Columns, New York; Galerie Daniel Buchholz, Cologne; Josh Baer Gallery, New York; Margo Leavin Gallery, Los Angeles; The Power Plant, Toronto; and Cable Gallery, New York, among others. Group exhibitions include: The Hirshhorn Museum, Washington, DC; Swiss Institute, New York; Downs & Ross, New York; The Tang Museum, Saratoga Springs; Elizabeth Dee Gallery, New York; MoCA, Cleveland; New Museum, New York; Marianne Boesky, New York; The Institute of Contemporary Art, Boston; Presentation House, Vancouver; Mercer Union, Toronto; The Aldrich Museum, Ridgefield; Sonnabend Gallery, New York; ICP, New York; Buchholz und Schipper, Cologne; Castello di Ravara, Torino; Andrea Rosen Gallery, New York; Terrain Gallery, San Francisco; 303 Gallery, New York; São Paulo Bienal Internacionale, São Paulo; Deste Foundation, Athens; Barbara Krakow Gallery, Boston; Metro Pictures, New York; Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris; Gallery Nature Morte, New York; Documenta, Kassel; Front Triennial, Cleveland; Galerie 1900 / 2000, Paris; Artists Space, New York; and The Kitchen, New York, among numerous others. The artist was a founding director of Gallery Nature Morte, New York.