Merlin Carpenter presents "Warning Signs" at Karma International in Zurich, featuring his latest paintings that evolve from his earlier "anti-painting" style. The artist reflects on how his early 2000s work, characterized by a semi-finished, indifferent aesthetic, had become decorative by the time of his 2013 POLICE show, prompting him to update his approach.
This exhibition matters because it documents a significant shift in Carpenter's practice, showing how a leading conceptual painter responds to the mainstream absorption of his once-radical methods. It offers insight into the ongoing dialogue between anti-painting and traditional painting, a key tension in contemporary art.