CCS BARD

Drawing from several collections that were privately held before moving to the Center for Curatorial Studies, While You Were Out foregrounds the residues of the personal that remain when such objects and artworks are reoriented for a public audience. Previously tucked away on bookshelves, scattered on desks, or piled up in corners and forgotten, these objects’ quotidian qualities are here elevated to something more formal.

Alongside everyday materials such as obituaries, snapshots, and personal memos, the exhibition examines various collecting practices, including the book collection of Paul Chan and postcards of Tacita Dean, as well as archival materials originally not intended for public display.

While offering glimmers of personal origins, the exhibition values the absence of the collector, understanding that their lives and intentions are never fully visible. The exhibition asks: How does a collection transform while the collector is out?

While You Were Out includes works of art by Tom Burr, Paul Chan, Tacita Dean, Robert Gober, Lyle Ashton Harris, David Koloane, Robert Mapplethorpe, and Gabriel Orozco, as well as objects from the archives of curator John G. Hanhardt and the papers of gallerist Pat Hearn.

The exhibition is curated by Ray Camp, Mike R. Curran, Truth Murray-Cole, and Emily Nola.