Camo Tower No. 1, 2023, Plywood, plastic and aerosol paint, 50 x 12 x 12 in
Large Polychrome No. 1, 2005, Aerosol paint on canvas, 120 x 96 in
NEW YORK—Gallery AP SPACE, located at 555 West 25th Street, is pleased to present works by artist Murray Hochman, on view from April 2 through May 5. An opening reception will be held on April 9, from 6 to 8 pm. The exhibition, curated by the gallery and Alan Goolman, features large-scale canvases alongside ten works on paper and a freestanding sculpture, all created post-2000 and reflecting the artist’s mature and refined practice.
Now 91 years old, Hochman was born and raised in NYC. His artistic career spans more than six decades, guided by cultural trends, the demands of his materials and an abiding interest in experimentation. Throughout that time, he has explored the possibilities of light, color, geometry and gesture. Inspired by graffiti culture in the late 1960s, Hochman’s signature medium has become aerosol paint—ranging from jarring fluorescents to luminescent lacquers that shift with the light. Layers of different—sometimes arbitrary—colors and solvents are sprayed on paper or canvas, revealing the complexity of what lies underneath. This process of dissolution continues until the work is resolved.
For decades before it became fashionable, Hochman was a fan of camouflage. In the 2020s, he began incorporating camo patterning in a series of wall reliefs and sculptures made from discarded plastic. Camo Tower No. 1, shown above, is one example, created using layers of matte, multi-colored spray paint on plastic scavenged at the local dump. It is the sole sculpture featured in this exhibition.
Large Polychrome No. 6, 2004, Aerosol paint on canvas, 78 x 96 in
The Large Polychromes on view were among the first paintings produced by Hochman in the early 2000s, after he converted a barn in the Berkshire Hills of Massachusetts into a studio. For the first time, he was able to work as large as he wanted, and many of the paintings created during this period—up to 10 x 8 feet in size—reflect the calm and expansiveness outside his wide barn/studio doors. After stretching his canvases, he placed them horizontally on milk crates and sprayed them with multiple layers of paint. After applying solvents, he lifted the canvases in various directions to see what patterns emerged. The process is guided by chance, filtered through Hochman’s keen perception of surfaces and lifelong fascination with materials.
Inner Space No. 1, 2007, Aerosol paint on paper, 29 x 23 in
Most of Hochman’s work, unlike the Large Polychromes, start with geometric forms, even if they are later submerged under layers of paint. The works on paper exhibited here, from a series called Inner Spaces, are a straightforward example: a single rectangle on a neutral metallic background is sprayed with lacquers and solvents to create intricate patterns. The simplicity of the composition and the subtlety of the tones lend a meditative quality to the works.
Although Hochman’s paintings are often minimal in form, his sophisticated — sometimes whimsical—use of color and space create compositions in which time seems to dissolve. “The parameters of my work are both formal and expressionistic,” he says, “veering between concept and impulse, and their fusion.”
The works on paper, featured in the downstairs gallery of AP SPACE, are accompanied by a “sonic portrait” of the artist. Created by multimedia sound artist Fior Daniela, the piece gently weaves together Hochman’s reflections on his practice with an original score inspired by minimalist composers Morton Feldman and La Monte Young, who were influential in his work.
“Through this exhibition, we aim to create a dialogue between spatial perception and emotional resonance,” says Jean Park, director of AP SPACE and co-curator of the show, “inviting viewers to engage with the work beyond the visual and into a more immersive, sensory experience.”
The exhibition offers audiences the opportunity to experience the nuances of Hochman’s paintings and sculpture, where quiet contemplation, restraint and an enduring commitment to his artistic vision come together in works that are both intimate and transcendent.
About Murray Hochman
Murray Hochman was born in 1934 and raised on NYC’s Lower East Side. He has a BA in art history from New York University and an MFA from Alfred University in ceramic arts, although he quickly turned to painting. His first works were bought by Frederic Mueller of the Pace Gallery and other prominent curators and collectors, including Henry Geldzahler (then curator of American Art at the Metropolitan
Museum), Sam Hunter, Robert Scull and Allan Stone. During the 1960s, he was included in group shows at the Pace and Tibor de Nagy galleries along with the Whitney Art Resources Center and the Lobo Gallery in Montreal. Throughout the following decades, Hochman has painted and exhibited consistently, but largely under the radar of the mainstream art establishment. In 2000, he bought a farm in the Berkshires, where he has been working in relative isolation for the last 25 years. It stimulated a period of intense creativity and new directions, including collage, paintings on scrap metal, and wall reliefs and sculpture made out of discarded plastic, his first foray into the third dimension since his graduate work in ceramics. www.murrayhochman.com
About AP SPACE
AP SPACE is a contemporary art gallery located in the heart of Chelsea, New York. Committed to expanding the reach and global scope of artistic innovation and cultural dialogue, AP SPACE presents year-round exhibitions that feature established and emerging artists worldwide, with a focus on Korean contemporary art. The gallery fosters long-term relationships, supports new ideas and builds a global community that values experimentation, inclusivity and excellence—bridging cultures and amplifying underrepresented voices in the evolving discourse of contemporary art. Through collaborations with artists, curators and institutions across the United States, Korea and beyond, AP SPACE continues to cultivate an international platform that connects diverse artistic perspectives and audiences. Gallery AP SPACE | Contemporary Art Gallery in Chelsea, New York
