Opening Reception | APRIL 11, 7—10 PM

Temporary Monument: ATL/LEX brings together artists from Atlanta and Lexington in a pop-up exhibition organized by the Temporary Art Center (TAC) in collaboration with 2nd Story and the University of Kentucky Art Museum, in addition to cultural producers Daniel Freed and Katherine St. Paul Hill, and real estate developer Kathryn Kaufman.

Developed as TAC’s first project outside of Atlanta, this exhibition extends its ongoing interest to stimulate community engagement by increasing exposure for emerging and established artists. Connecting artists from two distinct but connected regional scenes, Temporary Monument considers how place shapes artistic production and how new contexts can generate dialogue across communities. The exhibition foregrounds a range of approaches to figuration, abstraction, materiality, and popular culture, while emphasizing the shared conditions that underpin contemporary practice.

Presented in a 10,000 square foot site in downtown Lexington, the exhibition features work across painting, sculpture, photography, drawing, and installation. Many of the projects engage directly with the building itself—its columns, floor-to-ceiling windows, exposed ductwork, and concrete floors—treating the space as both a setting and a material condition.

The exhibition is meant to generate questions about how distinct environments can foster artistic development and nurture talent.TAC is by design a flexible “institution” that takes advantage of urban spaces made available by developers. It has none of the concerns of long-term stability and programmatic deliverables that most arts organizations aspire to. While monuments are typically understood as fixed and enduring, this project proposes a more provisional form, one that exists for a limited time but still carries cultural and historical weight. In this way, Temporary Monument: ATL/LEX positions the exhibition itself as a moment of visibility, exchange, and significance, even within its short duration. It also aims Its aims to inspire new models of presentation and investment in the arts.

This exhibition is sponsored by VisitLEX, John Weiland, Tim and Lauren Schrager, and other individual donors in Atlanta and Lexington. Real estate developer Kathryn Kaufman, who is in the process of bringing a vision for the property at 325 Main Street to completion, has generously contributed the space for this exhibition.