In Celebration of Shadows: Curated by Ian Hartshorne
GRIMM is delighted to announce the opening of a group exhibition In Celebration of Shadows, curated by Ian Hartshorne at our New York gallery from January 23 to March 7, 2026.
The exhibition presents a selection of artworks by 27 artists; Anthony Cudahy, EJ Hauser, Jennifer Leigh Blaine, Julie Curtiss, Pat Andrea, Larysa Myers, Louise Giovanelli, Ian Hartshorne, Isobel Shore, Jo McGonigal, Ian Kiaer, Jack Ginno, Christopher Orr, Derrick Guild, Ross Chisholm, Daniel Richter, Werner Büttner, Alexander Basil, Matthias Weischer, Wolfram Ebersbach, Kristina Schuldt, Chloe Wise, Stephen Appleby-Barr, Aude Verbrugge, Sophie von Hellermann, Dieter Krieg, and Jule Bode.
In Celebration of Shadows celebrates the intergenerational impact of teaching painting and reveals engaging and dynamic relationships between those participating. The title of the show honors a group of contemporary artists whilst acknowledging their mentors, and the artists they have in turn had an affect upon. We can think of these often overlooked, yet crucial contributors to the lifeblood of art as ‘shadows’. The curator takes an unusual approach to not invite all the artists who are included in the show personally. Instead, nine artists were initially invited to submit one work each with the proviso that they in turn each invite two accompanying guests to exhibit alongside them; one of whom a former teacher, accompanied by a chosen student. The request to those invited was to reflect on the interests and relationships formed during their teaching and learning periods and extend invitations to others.
The unexpected sympathies that emerge from the trios of artists assembled here are noteworthy. However, as the show demonstrates, these affinities are not preordained. Even stretching the bounds, it is challenging to discern aesthetic or theoretical connections as the exhibition eschews thematic concerns outright and instead reveals deeper layers of incidental human, personal, psychological connections and occasional rejections between student and teacher.
The exhibition adopts an intergenerational approach to celebrating the practice and teaching of painting. This survey spans approximately eighty years, allowing us to simultaneously look back with admiration and forward to what is emerging. The hope is that whether a teacher or a student, learning continues, regardless of age or location and painting remains vital, fluid and capacious.
With special thanks to all participating artists and their representing galleries.
About the curator
Ian Hartshorne is an artist and teacher. He trained for his MA at Chelsea College of Art and was a Stanley Picker fellow at Kingston University and a subsequent Boise Scholar at The Slade School, London (UK), where he completed his PhD. Hartshorne is a founding member of the Apollo Painting School in Manchester (UK); the Teaching Painting organization, a coalition of educators; and co-editor of the book Teaching Painting: How can painting be taught in British art schools?. He has taught painting at all levels for over 25 years, most notably as the Head of Painting at Manchester School of Art.
