The Painted Word: Text, Gesture, and Expression in Contemporary Art

The Painted Word: Text, Gesture, and Expression in Contemporary Art

February 11, 2026 - May 2, 2026

Reception: Wednesday, February 11, 5 - 8 p.m

The Painted Word delves into the compelling intersection where gestural painting meets textual expression, illuminating how contemporary artists transmute language into visceral, emotive form. This exhibition assembles a diverse constellation of artists who boldly challenge and expand the traditional boundaries of written language through expressive, often intensely physical acts of painting. Each participating artist employs text not merely as a communicative vessel, but as a dynamic medium through which to excavate questions of identity, culture, emotion, and societal constructs. Through their bold, kinetic gestures and innovative typographic interventions, these artists elevate language from the confines of the page into painting's expansive realm, dissolving the boundaries between visual and linguistic expression.

At the conceptual heart of The Painted Word pulses the productive tension between form and meaning. These artists seize upon language—traditionally conceived as a rational instrument of communication—and deconstruct it through intuitive, often deliberately chaotic gestural painting. In this transformation, they unleash the emotional and instinctual power that lies dormant within words. Rather than prioritizing legibility or narrative coherence, the works featured in The Painted Word foreground the subjective, fluid experience of language itself, inviting viewers to encounter the sensory and emotional dimensions of words as potent visual symbols.

The exhibition will present works by more than two dozen artists and will be accompanied by a comprehensive 125-page catalog featuring scholarly essays and detailed entries by the curatorial team. The exhibition is curated by Bartholomew Bland with Melissa Brown, Shawn Cheng, Sean McCarthy, and David Schwittek. Curatorial registration and research support is being provided by Ashley Lum and Maribelle Ceballos.

Confirmed Artists to Date: Chris Ashworth, Mel Bochner, Kurt Boone, Scott Covert, Ben Durham, Nicky Enright, Shepard Fairey, Tony Fitzpatrick, Futura, Alicia Gibson, Jeffrey Gibson, Rachel Harrison, Evan Hecox, Meg Hitchcock, Rachel Lee Hovnanian, Royal “Kingbee”, Glenn Ligon, MRS, Loren Munk, John O’Connor, Rune Olsen, Lady Pink, Lee Quiñones, Maria D. Rapicavoli, Arlene Rush, Paula Scher, Sneha Shrestha, Miriam Shapiro, James Siena, Jaune Quick-to-See Smith, Despina Stokou, Nari Ward, Anna Warfield, Peter Williams

This exhibition is made possible through the generous support of our institutional partners, including the Charina Foundation, Jarvis and Constance Doctorow Family Foundation, Edith and Herbert Lehman Foundation, Keith Haring Foundation, The Pierre and Tana Matisse Foundation, Milton and Sally Avery Arts Foundation,, New York State Council on the Arts, the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, and New York City Council Members Eric Dinowitz, Oswald Feliz, Kristy Marmorato, and Kevin C. Riley.

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Host or Publisher Lehman College Art Galley