PRESS RELEASE

Primary is pleased to present Earth Rise Day Dream, Cody Hudson’s first solo with Primary and the inauguration of our newly constructed home designed by renowned architects John Keenen and Terence Riley (K/R Architects). Based in the burgeoning Little River neighborhood of Miami, this private residence will explore modern ideas on the subject of live/work as applied to the context of contemporary art.

The exhibition’s title is a combination of two social contributions from the same era. First, a color photograph titled Earthrise, taken from lunar orbit by astronaut William Anders and second, found in the coda of Sugar Magnolia, the song lyric sunrise daydream, written by Robert Hunter for American rock band The Grateful Dead.

In Earth Rise Day Dream, a selection of twenty plus sculptures and paintings, Hudson takes a cue from various schools of alternative thought which include communal processes exemplified at Black Mountain College and ideas found within Stewart Brand’s Whole Earth Catalog. Hudson also considers a sphere of influences that include psychoactive plants, DIY warehouse raves, the history of patterns applied to systems of weaving, and a secular but personal look at this world’s natural elements.

Jules Olitski describes painting as having mainly to do with color, surface, and shape, but also the difficult task of addressing feelings. Concerning Hudson’s execution, his approach is largely meditative, dominated by feeling, powered by a conglomeration of historical references that are transferred from his psyche to each broad field of color on linen.

The aesthetics surrounding the works are realized in part through deconstruction, delivering a version of our landscape through a lens that is graphic in nature. His delicate use of shape and color aims to convey a variety of subtleties such as the search for inner peace, positivity, and harmony.

Complimenting the abrupt transitions between areas of acrylic on canvas, a series of steel sculptures can be found romancing the exhibition space, both in and outdoors. Hudson’s metalwork is an extension of his painting practice as well as his life long relationship with processes of design. Made from quarter inch steel, welded, and finally, powder coated, materializing as a psychotropic gesture to Matisse’s radical cut-out’s. Rising from the concrete, these sculptures affirm Hudson’s commitment to form.

Whether it be an additive process of applying paint to woven surfaces or the subtractive cutting away from sheets of steel, Hudson’s practice will always observe a broad scope of cultural significance and when it comes to recognizing the purest point of communication, Hudson knows the work has arrived when it can be deemed entirely honest.

Opens March 30, 2019 at 6 PM


Checklist Press Release

Cody Hudson (American, b. 1971) lives and works between Chicago, IL, and Sugar Creek, WI. Residencies include The Jaunt (Seoul, South Korea), The Ecology Center (San Juan Capistrano, CA), Soho Beach House (Miami, FL), Form Arcosanti (Arcosanti, AZ), and Purdue University (West Lafayette, IN). Recent and solo exhibitions include ANDREW RAFACZ (Chicago, IL), Louis Buhl (Detroit, MI), The Jaunt (Seoul, South Korea), Primary (Miami, FL), Public Land (Sacramento, CA), David B. Smith Gallery (Denver, CO), Mini Galerie (Amsterdam, Netherlands), Left Field Gallery (Los Osos, CA), HVW8 (Berlin, Germany), and V1 Gallery (Copenhagen, Denmark). Group exhibitions include Hashimoto Contemporary (New York, NY), The Diboll Design Center, Loyola University New Orleans (New Orleans, LA), Joy Machine (Chicago, IL), Phloem Studio Gallery (Hood River, OR), Left Field Gallery (Los Osos, CA), STRAAT Museum (Amsterdam, Netherlands), Somerset House (London, UK), Joshua Liner Gallery (New York, NY), and Chicago Design Museum (Chicago, IL). In 2006 Hudson was commissioned by the City of Chicago Public Art Program to create a permanent installation at the White Sox/35th CTA station as part of the Arts in Transit Program. In 2025, he worked on a special collaboration between the Chicago Bulls and the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago, the first of its kind. He has exhibited at art fairs in Chicago, Copenhagen, Miami, New York, and Rotterdam. His work has been written about in Art & Object, The Chicago Reader, Hypebeast, MLB.com, NBA.com, and NewCity. Publications include Save My Life (2008) and Selected Universal Portals (2023). His work can be found in numerous private and public collections.

Primary (Est. 2007) is a context and research-driven curatorial collective with an emphasis on public art. We thrive amongst the self-taught, working-class misfits, who explore the margins of a new Americana through pungent, human-focused narratives. Our program engages with the raw and uncanny, celebrating border voices, bootleg culture, and intergenerational commentary, connecting the new and unseen with broader audiences and evolving collections.

For further information, please contact info@thisisprimary.com