Lucy Bull abstract paintings at ICA Miami
The first solo U.S. museum presentation for abstract painter Lucy Bull (b. 1990) opens at the Institute of Contemporary Art, Miami (ICA Miami) on December 3, 2024. Showcasing 20 of the artist’s recent paintings and a newly commissioned monumental painting animating the museum’s staircase, Lucy Bull: The Garden of Forking Paths illuminates the artist’s distinct language of abstraction. Coinciding with Miami Art Week, and curated by Gean Moreno, ICA Miami’s Director of the Knight Foundation Art + Research Center, the exhibition is on view to March 30, 2025.
Known for visceral works that appeal directly to the senses, Bull’s paintings sit at the edge of language. In them, the macroscopic and the microscopic constantly swap places, as landscapes often morph into depictions of internal psychic spaces. Worlds take shape as momentary coagulations, only to settle back into a space of constant transformation. Her works are enlivened by modulating emotional temperatures and by courting far-reaching associations. As a result, optical overload and disruptive dissonance move typical perception into a hypersensitive mode.
Lucy Bull: The Garden of Forking Paths brings together for the first time 20 paintings produced between 2019 and 2024, including two large-scale horizontal works that stretch over ten feet across, signaling a new space of exploration for the artist into different sizes and scales. Several vertical paintings are presented alongside these works, continuing the artist’s pictorial research over the last decade. In parallel to the exhibition, Bull is creating a new monumental work to activate ICA Miami’s staircase, on view through September 2025.
“Lucy Bull is a singular voice in contemporary abstract painting whose genre-defining practice continues to rapidly evolve,” Alex Gartenfeld, ICA Miami Artistic Director, said.
“Lucy Bull brings a distinct perspective to abstract painting, through her dynamic paint application which disrupts the viewer’s perception and creates a constant state of tension,” Moreno said. “By bringing together her new works, the exhibition not only demonstrates the evolution of her practice but provides broader insight into the ways artists are continuing to push the boundaries of abstraction.”
About the Institute of Contemporary Art, Miami
The Institute of Contemporary Art, Miami (ICA Miami) is dedicated to promoting continuous experimentation in contemporary art, advancing new scholarship, and fostering the exchange of art and ideas throughout the Miami region and internationally. Through an energetic calendar of exhibitions and programs, and its collection, ICA Miami provides an important international platform for the work of local, emerging, and under-recognized artists, and advances the public appreciation and understanding of the most innovative art of our time.
Launched in 2014, ICA Miami opened its new permanent home in Miami’s Design District in December 2017. The museum’s central location positions it as a cultural anchor within the community and enhances its role in developing cultural literacy throughout the Miami region. The museum offers free admission, providing audiences with open, public access to artistic excellence year-round.
The Institute of Contemporary Art, Miami is located at 61 NE 41st Street, Miami, Florida, 33137. For more information, visit www.icamiami.org or follow the museum on Instagram and explore the ICA Channel for inside looks at ICA Miami exhibitions and the practices of the most exciting artists working today.
