Jules Buck Jones @ Champion

Jules Buck Jones’ first solo exhibition at Champion, Animal Again, is comprised of new works on paper, video, and a massive installation, all of which extend his investigation into the concepts of wildlife, natural science, mythology, and abstraction. Animal Again builds on Jones’ earlier work by bringing together both drawing and sculpture - choppier, heavier marks abstract the mask-like animal forms. Employing a larger-than-life presence intrinsic to the changing dialogue between man and the animal kingdom, his characters continue to center around the hawk, fox, owl, and toad. Depicting these animals without their eyes invites the idea of transformation as each drawing becomes a potential shell for one to enter, wear, or maneuver. The illusion of hollowness is created in response to a fascination with the desire, and sometimes unintentional urge, to actually become the animal. This opens up a new direction which allows for the addition of new media to complement Jones' rhythmic drawing style. Emerging from a densely-wooded landscape installation, Jones’ works meld his intuitive process with drawings of species indigenous to Texas and the Northeast. Jones closely observes wildlife native to these areas and immerses himself in naturalism while studying notions of shamanism. Jones' concentration draws on stories and the role of animal imagery in prehistory and creation myths - especially as they relate to harnessing real animal power within ceremony.  Jules Buck Jones was born in Northampton MA and grew up in Northern and Central Virginia. He received his BFA fromVirginia Commonwealth University in 2005 and MFA from University of Texas at Austin in 2008. Jones was Artist in Residence in Everglades National Park in the summer of 2009 and completed a residency at the Vermont Studio Center in Johnson, VT this past winter. Showing throughout Texas with solo shows in Dallas, Austin, and Houston, Jones’ works are in the collections of Austin Museum of Art and Everglades National Park. He is also part of several collaborative teams that practice large scale installations and collage. Jones lives and works in Austin. For further information or images please contact 512 354 1035 or sonia@championcontemporary.com. Animal Again will be on view from February 25 through March 26, 2011. Gallery Hours: Tuesday through Saturday, 11-6 PM.  Upcoming exhibitions at the gallery include The Sultans Played Creole, curated by James Cope, opening April 2, remaining on view until Saturday, April 30.

Images From The Opening!

Bruce Wilhelm, Rob Lee and more at Mulherin Pollard

opening Thursday, Jan 6th from 6 to 9 pm

Mars Needs Answers
MULHERIN POLLARD PROJECTS
317 10th Ave (between 28th & 29th) . New York, NY 10001PH.212.967.0045 info@mulherinpollard.com
Bruce

Bruce Wilhelm

Thanks John and ADA

Daniel Lane new works!

Theresa Pfarr @ Grizzly Grizzly

grizzly grizzly

Grizzly Grizzly is proud to present new works by Theresa Pfarr, we will be hosting this event on June 4th from 6 to 9 pm.

the gallery is located at 319 north 11th street in Philadelphia


My paintings are derived from cultural, commercial images of women, as they address me. The aggressive and pervasive nature of commercial imagery compels me to answer in the interest of creating a dialogue. Provoked by the shifting status and mutable portrayal of women in mass culture, I work to articulate the mixture of euphoria and dread I experience in viewing women’s magazines. Incidentally and anxiously, I discover and draw from the loss of my identity when subject to the meanderings of the female image in our culture. I treat the cultural, commercial and personal as one in my work, through a process of collecting, collaging and manipulating images into my paintings. Through this process the paintings become part self-portrait and part mass culture icon, I want to articulate where the two overlap. My work has evolved to this point through a process of examining the historical narratives and contemporary conventions used in advertising. Drawing from religious imagery, pop culture and themes of innocence, I am exploring and following visual points of tension and continuum in what allows mendacity to function as truth, and vice versa.



“I could no longer console myself with Rilke’s line: ‘Sweet as memory the mimosas steep the bedroom’….The Photograph is violent: not because it shows violent things, but because it fills the sight by force, and because nothing in it can be refused or transformed (that we sometimes call it mild does not contradict its violence: many say that sugar is mild, but to me sugar is violent…)” -Roland Barthes, from Camera Lucida: Reflections on Photography

Trudy Benson @ Freight + Volume

the press release


May 6th - June 13th, 2010


Reception: Thursday, May 6th, 6-8 PM
 
FREIGHT AND VOLUME

542 West 24th Street
New York, NY
10011
PHONE: 212 691 7700

FAX: 212 989 8708
HOURS:

Tuesday - Saturday

11 AM - 6 PM or by appointment
 
freight + volume

Trudy Benson - MFA Show - Tomorrow - GO!

Jorge Benitez

Joshua and Tisch Abelow, pt. 2

The Opening will be Friday, January 8th from 6 to 10 pm
Grizzly Grizzly is located at 319 North 11th Street, 2nd Floor
(if you cannot make it, I will schedule viewings by appointment, so please email me at dpmatt@ymail.com)

annie campbell belcher

annie's website

Joshua and Tisch Abelow

Grizzly Grizzly is pleased to present an exhibition of new works by Joshua and Tisch Abelow.






Joshua and Tisch share the same last name because they are brother and sister. Until recently, these two artists lived in different locations (Tisch in San Francisco/LA, Joshua in Berlin). Currently, these artists find themselves working in their respective studios in their hometown, Frederick, MD. This exhibition aims to bring their works even closer together by showing their paintings/drawings in the same space for the first time.

The gallery will hold an opening reception on January 8th from 6-10 pm and will be open by appointment.

GRIZZLY GRIZZLY opening

GrizzlyGrizzlyis our new gallery in Philadelphia, here are pictures of the inaugural show and ensuing mayhem. Yes we take submissions, email me.

Jorge Benitez

Castilian Conjugations Recent Paintings by Jorge Miguel Benitez

Artist Statement (In two parts)

Paintings, like grammar, have tenses. Some artists paint in the present and others in the future. Most paint in either the past or the conditional, and egotists tend to paint in the imperative. I prefer to paint in the subjunctive. It addresses the uncertain and the hypothetical. In Castilian it is an essential and difficult tense.

On a technical and conceptual note, I do not use any photographic or digital references. I paint exclusively from hand-generated drawings.

Jorge Miguel Benitez
2009



Part two: Why are the titles in Castilian?

I have no interest in identity politics, and I do not plan to walk in Angela Davis’ revolutionary combat boots. However, even without titles these paintings would still address the nexus of words and images, culture and history. Castilian has been the dominant language of Spain since the expulsion of the Muslims and the founding of the Spanish Empire in 1492. The language has a Latinate directness. Julius Caesar’s famous “veni, vidi, vici,” translates into vine, vi, vencí. The verbs imply a personal pronoun that can be dropped without losing the structure of a complete sentence. Furthermore, the combination of grammatical precision and conciseness with hard consonants and short vowels gives Castilian a staccato rhythm that stresses the speaker’s will. In contrast to Latin Americans, peninsulares, as Spaniards are sometimes called, retain a harsh, clipped sound that echoes the commands of Roman legions and Spanish tercios.

Still, it would be a mistake to think that Castilian lacks subtlety or the capacity for diplomatic assuagement. The subjunctive tense alone allows it to express horrors obliquely. I can say things in my native Castilian that would be unforgivably offensive in English. A simple diminutive modifier can turn a phrase into a mocking insult or a tender endearment. Love, cruelty, reason and irrationality coexist in an exquisite and delicate balance. The most pedestrian empirical observation can be expressed lyrically while remaining boringly factual. Formal and informal pronouns establish social hierarchies yet permit an egalitarian illusion. In short, Castilian defies objective detachment. The speaker can be cool or warm but never uninvolved. Castilian projects a lack of faith in reason even when the thoughts are rational. Lastly, these paintings reflect a linguistic and visual culture that revels in contradictions and accepts life’s unfair and arbitrary nature. Life, like art, can be interesting in spite of its meaninglessness.

Jorge Miguel Benitez
2009

Trudy Benson

Trudy

Bruce Wilhelm / Jon Clary

Bruce's Site

Jon's Site



Here's the installation shots from their show at Eleanor Harwood in San Francisco. Two of my favorite people and artists.