447 Space is pleased to present MONK: Peter Wayne Lewis. The works in this show are infused with Lewis’ love of String Theory, jazz, spirituality, Chinese calligraphy, and large-scale Abstract Expressionist work. The large Monk Time Suite, comprised of fifteen paintings, dominates the room in scale and references both Thelonious Monk the jazzman and the religious monks of contemplation and prayer. Vibrating with color and energy, Monk Time Suite was first exhibited in 2016 in a solo exhibition at the Ullens Center of Contemporary Art in Beijing, curated by Philip Tinari.

Whether large-scale or small, his production is spacious as he reconnoiters experiential volume. The physicality of his gestural work conveys spiritual experiences and sensations. The act of musing String Theory turns the one-dimensional point into a four-dimensional experience of motion over time. It is not the math or models that interest Lewis as much as the beauty of the Grand Unification Theory. Lewis is attracted to ideas that parallel his cosmic journey. Like a string on a piano, his pieces vibrate on a note, a cosmological constant. The visual intensity, sonic metaphors, and action of the body affect the emotional encounter with the work. The process of painting and encountering the work is all-encompassing.

The Bending Time series refers to how we negotiate time as human beings, referencing the idea that time is not a linear structure and that it can bend, warp and shift into many different patterns. Culture also determines our relationship with this construct while mediating it through our tribal customs generally revolving around the seasons. All the paintings are done without forethought which makes it a riff not unlike jazz trying to find a rhythm of being that is truthful.

An e-catalogue with essays by Dr. Catherine Amidon, Fran Kaufman and Xiaoming Zhang will accompany the exhibition.