Isaac Tin Wei Lin: Chromatic Intercession July 15–August 15, 2015

Isaac Tin
Wei Lin:
Chromatic Intercession
July 15–August 15, 2015

Adams and Ollman is pleased to present a solo exhibition of two-dimensional works by Philadelphia-based artist Isaac Tin Wei Lin. The exhibition will be on view from July 16 through August 15, 2015. This is the artist's first solo exhibition in Portland, Oregon.

Drawing on sources such as Gorky, Gottlieb, and graffiti, Lin makes drawings and paintings that are strongly graphic and formally captivating. Lin's bold and colorful mark-making with logographic and alphabetic elements is reminiscent of hieroglyphs, as well as musical scores, Chinese characters and calligraphy. It is clear that language and writing figure prominently in the work. But while his lexicon is recognizable, it is enigmatic and incomprehensible as it repeats and creates a visual cacophony—a kind of buzzing of color and pattern—that camouflages and obfuscates the panels, photographs, walls, clothing and found paper on which he paints and draws.

On view at Adams and Ollman will be new multi-paneled paintings on panel and drawings on paper that appear as if modular as they spread out across the wall. Grouping these panels or framed works on paper together allows for diverse thoughts, interests or vantage points within a singular work. In this sense, Lin's statements become a conversation. There is a push and pull between the large arrangements and the small, subtle experiences of the textures, colors, and gradients found within. While his paintings place emphasis on color and pattern, Lin's pen and ink drawings contain odd shapes with strange gaits that read as cartoons, architecture, landscapes, plantlife.

Isaac Tin Wei Lin (b. 1976) lives and works in Philadelphia. Lin's work has been featured in group exhibitions at numerous institutions including: the Philadelphia Museum of Art, the Institute of Contemporary Art, Painted Bride Arts Center, and the Philadelphia Museum of Jewish Art, all in Philadelphia; Hyde Park Art Center, Chicago; and Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, San Francisco. Solo exhibitions have been presented at the Asian Arts Initiative and the Print Center, both in Philadelphia. Lin often collaborates with other artists, most notably as part of DFW, which was included in Arts Le Havre, 2012 Contemporary Art Biennial, France. His work is in the collection of the Philadelphia Museum of Art, Berkeley Art Museum, and the Free Library of Philadelphia.