the americans - new art

The last five years has been a period of explosive activity in the American art scene. This definitive survey of its most exciting and ebullient contemporary artists was shown at London's Barbican Art Gallery. Respected British curator Mark Sladen explored both East and West Coasts to select new work by emergent and cult figures, from Keith Edimier's silicone cast of himself in his mother's womb to Amy Adler's portraits of teen icons, Sarah Sze's sprawling installations to Paul Pfeiffer's intricate laser-fused powder sculptures.