But You Better Not Get Old
Mark Bradford constructs a densely layered surface using photomechanical reproductions, permanent-wave end papers, and mixed media, building up and tearing away material to expose fragmented texts and textures beneath. The work's title, *But You Better Not Get Old*, resonates through the canvas as a commentary on societal attitudes toward aging, vulnerability, and the disposability of marginalized bodies. Bradford's signature process of excavation and accumulation transforms the picture plane into a charged archaeological field, where meaning emerges through erasure as much as addition.
- Medium
- photomechanical reproductions, acrylic gel medium, permanent-wave end papers and additional mixed media on canvas
- Location
- Phillips, Salt Lake City, UT
- Spotted At
- Auction House Β· PhillipsView on map
π¨ Auction Lot
Contemporary Art Evening Sale
May 15, 2014
Artists in conversation
Theaster Gates
American Β· b. 1973
Gates similarly builds layered, text rich mixed media works that use accumulated and torn materials to address race, marginalization, and the social conditions of urban Black communities in America, sharing Bradford's excavation based process and political urgency.
Glenn Ligon
American Β· b. 1960
Ligon integrates fragmented and obscured text directly into densely worked abstract surfaces to interrogate how language shapes the identity and vulnerability of marginalized bodies, mirroring Bradford's use of layered collage and textual commentary on societal disposability.
Kara Walker
American Β· b. 1969
Walker employs bold mixed media strategies and accumulated visual information to construct confrontational commentaries on race, aging, and the erasure of vulnerable communities, reflecting the same urgent social critique and layered material sensibility found in Bradford's work.
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