Opener 16: Oliver Herring: Me Us Them

Me Us Them weaves together fifteen years of work by New York-based artist Oliver Herring (b. 1964). His ever-expanding body of work explores many media, from sculpture and performance to photography and video. The exhibition includes several of Herring’s early knit-Mylar objects, experimental videos, complex photo-collages, and documentation of recent TASK events, which invite participants to entirely shape the work. Herring’s larger pieces orbit around a central gallery space meant to simulate an artist’s studio.

Herring created his early works alone in his studio, laboriously knitting objects such as empty clothing and transparent blankets inspired by the drag performance artist Ethyl Eichelberger, who died in 1990. The knitting process played a crucial role, allowing the resulting objects to act as indicators of the passage of time.

Since 1998, Herring has regularly involved other people in his work. From stop-motion videos to scrupulously rendered photo-sculptures, these intimate interactions have expanded Herring’s practice into new realms, culminating in the more open series of TASK events. His many and varied projects share a common focus on social interactions, human relationships, and creative experimentation.


Opener 16: Oliver Herring: Me Us Them is organized by Ian Berry, Malloy Curator of the Tang Museum, in collaboration with the artist. The Opener series is made possible with the generous support of the New York State Council on the Arts, The Overbrook Foundation, and the Friends of the Tang.


For more information on Oliver's upcoming TASK event in Saratoga click here.