Untitled (for H. C. Westermann)
Mark Booth, Aaron Curry, Chris Johanson, Ryan Johnson, John Tanji Koga, Jason Meadows, Jim Nutt, Erik Parker, Ruth Root, and Ed Ruscha

The Contemporary Museum, Honolulu
August 25 – November 16, 2006

If there is a special language that artists share, then H. C. Westermann spoke a rare unexpurgated dialect of it. Few artists come to mind who have engendered as much passionate enthusiasm among their peers, and over the span of several generations. Even Westermann’s absence these past two decades has not curtailed his popularity among young artists first acquainted with his work through word-of-mouth from colleagues and peers in museums, galleries and graduate schools. The exhibition catalog for Dreaming of a Speech Without Words bears a postscript of writings by artists spanning generations and studio practices including Mark Booth, Aaron Curry, Chris Johanson, Ryan Johnson, John Koga, Jason Meadows, Jim Nutt, Erik Parker, Ruth Root, and Ed Ruscha. The exhibition Untitled (for H. C. Westermann) includes work by each of these artists revealing the broad range of interests and talent among fans and devotees of Westermann.

The exhibition is a companion to the full-color exhibition catalog Dreaming of a Speech Without Words: the Paintings and Early Objects of H. C. Westermann with essays by Michael Rooks, Dennis Adrian, and David McCarthy and postscript by Mark Booth, Aaron Curry, Chris Johanson, Ryan Johnson, John Koga, Jason Meadows, Jim Nutt, Erik Parker, Ruth Root, and Ed Ruscha.

Untitled (for H. C. Westermann) was organized by The Contemporary Museum, Honolulu and curated by Michael Rooks. In-kind support has been generously provided by Horizon Lines, LLC.