Exploring the Depths of Glenn Ligon’s Blue

**Art Review: Exploring Language and Color in Glenn Ligon’s “Late at Night, Early in the Morning, at Noon”**

Glenn Ligon’s latest exhibition, “Late at Night, Early in the Morning, at Noon,” brings together a profound exploration of language and color, centered around his new series of works on paper. The exhibition is hosted by Hauser & Wirth in a two-part format, showcasing Ligon’s intricate engagement with abstraction and the racialized dimensions of text.

Upon entering the gallery, visitors are enveloped in a cold to warmth transition, setting the stage for Ligon’s artworks. The series, “Blue (for JB),” named in homage to James Baldwin, showcases Ligon’s mastery of merging figuration with abstract forms. Through the use of carbon ink and acrylic on torinoko paper, Ligon crafts an immersive experience, manipulating color and text to challenge perceptions.

The exhibition’s title draws from Baldwin’s 1964 text on Beauford Delaney’s paintings, particularly a moment describing a window filtered through leaves. Ligon’s works echo this idea, inviting viewers to delve deeper into the interplay of light, dark, and shadow.

Ligon’s process involves rubbing Japanese kozo paper against his text-based “Stranger” paintings, leaving subtle remnants of Baldwin’s words. These remnants are transformed into silkscreens on blue surfaces, allowing the ink to freely move and create figures born from the union of language and color. These larger-scale works, along with the smaller series “Study for Blue (for JB),” delve into the question: How can language and color merge to form figuration?

The exhibition’s second part offers a retrospective look at Ligon’s printmaking journey, from the 1990s to the present. Works like “Untitled (Cancellation Prints)” explore the racialization of color, employing cream-colored text and cancellation marks to challenge conventional constructs.

Ligon’s collection serves as a profound testament to his continued exploration of color and language. By engaging with cultural and formal implications, “Late at Night, Early in the Morning, at Noon” testament both to Ligon’s artistic evolution and his ability to evoke complex dialogues through art.

**Exhibition Details:**
Glenn Ligon: Late at Night, Early in the Morning, at Noon is on view at Hauser & Wirth, 443 West 18th Street, Chelsea, Manhattan, until April 11. The exhibition is organized by the gallery.