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Zidoun-Bossuyt Gallery is thrilled to announce the highly anticipated return of Summer Wheat at Zidoun-Bossuyt Paris. Following the success of her solo exhibition during the official opening of the Parisian location in 2022, we invite you to mark your calendars for the grand opening of her latest exhibition, Sun Up, Sun Down, running from May 14 to July 19, 2025.
Summer Wheat is renowned for her vibrant paintings, intricate sculptures, and immersive installations. Through an innovative process in which paint is applied through an aluminum grid, she has developed a distinctive artistic approach, crafting poetic visual narratives that balance lightness and introspection. Her bold use of color, combined with experimental techniques—including the use of syringes and cake decorating tools—results in tactile, dynamic works that blur the boundaries between figure and ground, representation and abstraction. Engaging in a rich dialogue between art history and craftsmanship, Summer Wheat’s work weaves diverse influences, ranging from medieval tapestries to modernist abstractions, reimagining the relationship between tradition and contemporary expression.
Rooted in the nostalgia of carefree summer days, Sun Up, Sun Down blends diurnal and nocturnal scenes, where female horseback riders chase butterflies beneath both the sun and the full moon, while starry skies transform into jewel-like constellations and daytime moments capture the gathering of rain pearls. Humorous touches, such as bees buzzing around shoes on a bed of flowers, add whimsy, while elements of water and air flow throughout. This presentation echoes childhood pastimes—like chasing butterflies or catching frogs—and symbolizes the struggle to maintain focus in a world overwhelmed by digital overstimulation. Like butterflies slipping through a net, our attention splinters under the relentless pull of social media, evoking a sense of endless pursuit. Through dynamic compositions and vibrant hues, Wheat captures the delicate balance between playfulness and distraction, transforming fleeting moments into layered, poetic visual narratives.
BIOGRAPHY
Summer Wheat was born in 1977 in Oklahoma City, OK. She obtained a B.A. from the University of Central Oklahoma and an M.F.A. from Savannah College of Art and Design. Solo exhibitions of her work have taken place at Zidoun-Bossuyt Galley Paris (2022), Mint Museum, Charlotte, NC (2021); Zidoun-Bossuyt Gallery Luxembourg (2020); Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art, Kansas City, MO (2020); KMAC Museum, Louisville, KY (2019); Shulamit Nazarian, Los Angeles, CA (2018); Smack Mellon, New York, NY (2018); Henry Art Gallery, University of Washington, Seattle, WA (2017); and Oklahoma Contemporary, Oklahoma City, OK (2016). Summer Wheat’s work is featured in numerous public and private collections, including the Dallas Museum of Art, Dallas, TX; the De Young Museum, San Francisco, CA; the Peréz Art Museum Miami, Miami, FL; the Henry Art Gallery at the University of Washington, Seattle, WA; the Mint Museum, Charlotte, NC; and the Speed Art Museum in Louisville, KY. Wheat has received several awards and prizes including, the Northern Trust Purchase Prize at EXPO Chicago (2019) and the New York NADA Artadia Award (2016). Summer Wheat is collaborating with International Architects Atelier to transform the Beaux Arts Conservatory on the premises of the Kansas City Museum. Titled JewelHouse, this light- filled sacred space is set to open in 2025. In 2023 The Mint Museum and Rizzoli co-published the first comprehensive book about Summer Wheat’s œuvre. In September 2025 Summer Wheat will present a solo exhibition at The SCAD Museum of Art, Savannah, GA.
