Louis Zoellar Bickett
Selections from the Art Collection
October 27 - November 26, 2016
Louis Zoellar Bickett
Selections from the Art Collection
October 27 – November 26, 2016
Institute 193, Lexington
On October 15, 2009, Institute 193 opened its doors with an inaugural exhibition titled Selections from the Archive, featuring dozens of works from Louis Zoellar Bickett’s vast Archive. At the time, Bickett lived in an apartment above the gallery, and the exhibition attempted to recreate the feeling of the artist’s home and studio with labeled collections, personal items, books, and art objects.
Seven years later, Institute 193 presents Louis Zoellar Bickett: Selections from the Art Collection, a visual testament to the artist's deep connections to the Lexington art community. Over the years, Bickett has supported and encouraged a number of artists as friend, mentor, patron and collector. The artist has further transformed the collected artworks through the action of labeling, indexing, and assimilating them into his own all-consuming Archive. Most artworks receive their own label and appear in one of Bickett’s various indexes. Some are carefully wrapped in craft paper while others are placed within sealed Ziplock bags or covered in black opaque plastic. In some cases, the object is only identifiable by its label, having been completely digested by the artist’s meticulous process.
Louis Zoellar Bickett: Selections from the Art Collection features works by seventeen artists including: Raymond Adams, G. Haviland Argo III, Lauren Argo, Clint Colburn, J.T. Dockery, Mike Goodlett, Carmen Grier, David Hanlon, Guy Mendes, David Minton, Aurora Parrish, Don Russell, Arturo Alonzo Sandoval, Ellen Skidmore, Aaron Skolnick, Lina Tharsing, and James Whitefox. The exhibition is presented as part of a citywide retrospective of the artist’s work. Concurrent exhibitions are being held by the University of Kentucky Art Museum, 21c Museum Hotel, and the Lexington Art League.