Zak Prekop: Durations

June 8, 2025 to January 11, 2026 In the Galleries

Zak Prekop's practice focuses on bold abstract compositions and the materiality of paint. For more than two decades, he has explored painting's ability to compress time by developing compositional strategies that balance spontaneity with meticulous, decisive mark-making. His works collapse multiple interpretations—such as the impulsive, expressive nature of action painting and the precise, optical effects of hard edge geometric compositions—creating an awareness of time as viewers decipher the artist’s actions.

For this exhibition, Prekop presents thirteen paintings in the Museum’s Balcony and South galleries, all executed by the artist in the year leading up to the exhibition. His layered compositions evoke cartographic and geological forms, references that are characterized by an almost incomprehensible accumulation of time.

Speaking about his own work, Prekop explains, “I refer to my paintings as measures of time. They measure the labor involved, the coexistence of different speeds at which various elements are executed, and time’s relationship to a viewer’s perception of the work, establishing a connection to time-based media, such as music and film.” The exhibition's title, Durations, emphasizes the time spent painting, varying speeds of execution, and its perception, engaging viewers with its temporal depth.

The catalogue will include a series of interviews conducted in the months leading up to the exhibition, offering deeper insights into Prekop’s creative process.

This exhibition is organized by Eduardo Andres Alfonso, Associate Curator.

Three abstract paintings on a museum wall. The paintings are multi-colored—mostly red, blue, black, and white. There is a bench on the floor.

Three abstract paintings in a museum. One is large and mostly red-orange; the other two are smaller.

Abstract paintings on a museum wall. One is larger and white and black, the other is smaller and red.

Mostly blue and black abstract painting.

Blue, periwinkle, pink, red, brown, orange, white, black abstract painting.

White, red, green, blue, and black abstract painting.

White, black, and beige abstract painting.

Mostly blue abstract painting with some red

Darkly colored purple, green, and brown abstract painting.

Mostly red abstract painting with some purple and aquamarine.

Red, forest green, and dark purple abstract painting.

Beige, red, and green abstract painting.

Beige, periwinkle, green, and brown abstract painting.

Mostly black, blue, and white abstract painting.

Mostly blue panoramic abstract painting.

Artist Bio

Zak Prekop (b. 1979, Chicago) is a Hudson Valley-based painter known for his intricate, nonrepresentational works. He holds an MFA from The School of the Art Institute of Chicago, a degree from Staatliche Hochschule für Bildende Künste, Städelschule, Frankfurt, Germany, and a BFA from Carnegie Mellon University. Prekop’s solo exhibitions include Maxwell Graham Gallery, New York, NY (2024); Galería Marta Cervera, Madrid, Spain (2022); Shane Campbell Gallery, Chicago, IL (2019); and Hagiwara Projects, Tokyo, Japan (2014 and 2019). His work is held in collections at the Walker Art Center, the Columbus Museum of Art, and the Museum of Modern Art. Notable group exhibitions include Greater New York at PS1, Long Island City, NY (2005); Basic Matters: Substance in Contemporary Art at the Columbus Museum of Art, Columbus, OH (2023); and File Under Freedom at Bergen Kunsthall, Bergen, Norway (2022).

Press Release

Press

“Hear from Zak Prekop about his work and its inspirations.”
—Sound and Vision Podcast

“Exploding with vibrant energy, Zak Prekop’s graphic and abstract style is pure elation.”
—Hyperallergic

“In the beginning, it’s really just my sense of composition, and moving the paint around with palette knives. As it gets closer to the end, I usually shift what I thought the painting was going to be; if I had a vision for it, it usually goes in another direction in order to get resolved.”
—The Creative Independent

Funders

Generous support for Zak Prekop: Durations is provided by The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts. Significant support is provided by Ellen and Andrew Celli. Additional support is provided by an anonymous donor, The Cowles Charitable Trust, and Kristina and Philip Larson. The catalogue is supported by the Eric Diefenbach and James Keith Brown Publications Fund. Production support is provided by the Diana Bowes and Jim Torrey Commissions Fund.

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Zak Prekop: Durations

Top image: Zak Prekop: Durations (installation view), The Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum, June 8, 2025 to January 11, 2026. Courtesy of the artist and Maxwell Graham, New York. Photo: Olympia Shannon.

The Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum

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