Rhythmic Contours Exhibition Opening

MASH Gallery Presents

RHYTHMIC CONTOURS

MASH Gallery is proud to present Rhythmic Contours, a sweeping group exhibition that unites contemporary artists through their innovative use of line, material, and rhythmic structure. Here, the line becomes the first gesture of imagination—an element that drifts, accumulates, fractures, or settles into deliberate order. Across sculpture, painting, and dimensional mixed media, each artist expands the language of abstraction and repositions the line as a site of possibility.

Throughout art history, the line has served as both revelation and restraint. The old masters treated it with discipline: Ingres called it the “probity of art,” Michelangelo defined it as the backbone of design, Klee regarded it as a path of movement, and Matisse used it to clarify an idea with elegance and decisiveness. In their hands, the line established harmony, order, and the foundations of visual thought.

Contemporary artists challenge that legacy, approaching the line as something far more fluid and unpredictable. For Julie Mehretu, it records time and velocity; for William Kentridge, it becomes a form of thinking; for Tracey Emin, a direct emotional voice; for Joan Mitchell, a breath carried across the canvas. Bridget Riley tracks its optical instability, while Cy Twombly lets it unravel into instinctive, gestural storytelling. Where the traditional line once imposed clarity, today it often conveys motion, rupture, and emotional resonance—yet in both eras, it remains a key to revealing the artist’s mind.

Rhythmic Contours brings these histories into the present through works that use line to express tension, harmony, memory, breath, distortion, and luminous movement. Some artists burn the line into wood; others carve it from paper, suspend it in strands, pull it through neon, or layer it through shifting fields of pigment. Each artist offers a distinct visual rhythm, yet together their works form a collective conversation about how contour shapes perception and guides the viewer through space.

Rhythmic Contours invites collectors, interior designers, and the public to consider how a single mark can activate an entire environment. The works on view demonstrate that line—whether steady, volatile, whispered, or expansive—remains one of the most vital carriers of rhythm and meaning in contemporary practice. As these artists reveal, the contour is never static; it guides the eye, shapes emotion, and transforms space, offering viewers a renewed understanding of how dynamic and alive a line can be.

Rhythmic Contours will be on view at MASH Gallery in West Hollywood from January 17th to Febuary 14th. The exhibition is free and open to the public.

For press inquiries, high-resolution images, or interview requests, contact MASH Gallery at [email protected].

Participating Artists:

Anthony Liggins

Behnaz Manzavi

Bryan Ricci

Daniel Torre

Itaewon

Piers Henry

Rod Lanthim

Ron Reihel

Salvatore Mateo

Thomas Piekunka

Tina Bluefield

Zack Smithey

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Host or Publisher Mash Gallery