Strike Everywhere Solo Show at Black Book Gallery

I am excited to announce my upcoming solo show at Black Book Gallery titled “Strike Everywhere”. The title of the exhibit is a reference to a new series of work, as well as my overall creative process.

In this exhibit, my entire range of abilities will be incorporated into several cohesive series.

The “Mightier Than” series of firearms constructed from disassembled antique typewriters, continues to gain recognition and attention from people around the world. In this series, I have created a visual and mental stimulant to illicit a wide range of responses from viewers. While on display during Art Basel Miami last December, they attracted the attention of art collectors, gun enthusiasts, scholars, musicians and many critiques both positive and negative. I believe that pushing people to reconsider a weapon born into violence as a piece of art carrying a positive influence is very relevant across the entire world.

Another body of work I continue to develop is the “Opposable Thumbs” series featuring animals portrayed engaging in human activities that specifically involve weapons, hunting, exploration and sport. However, the only human characteristic of these figures is the five digit human hand. In a time when animal and human interaction is at its highest, we experience a wide range of outcomes. Now more than ever, animals and their intellectual abilities are being considered in regards to their similarities in humans. The characters in this ongoing series are perfect examples of these interactions and relations. Althought I have created many pieces in this series, the ones displayed in this exhibit are in a larger format which allows for even more intricate detail. There will also be a limited edition large format print featuring one of the new works.

I’ll also be introducing two new bodies of work for this exhibition.

“Strike Everywhere” is a collaboration with Arna Miller inspired by the art that decorated early match boxes. These old boxes featured all manner of odd subject matter. I have employed the iconic skeleton style of Mexico’s Jose Posada to depict scenes of current social and political importance: police violence, the justice system, income inequality, abuses by the finical sector and so on. The images are relief prints carved from ordinary, orange traffic cones and printed on an antique printing press. The text was then added with screen printing.

“Age Of Enlightenment” is a new series which features original drawings in the style of religious and alchemical arts from the middle ages and renaissance. I chose to to emulate artists with a range of techniques both sophisticated and crude, and the subject matter reflects a similar range of ideas and themes. Sometimes unsettling, sometimes light, often mysterious—they depict odd scenes combining characters from the ancient world, mythological creatures and ordinary objects of our modern life.

STRIKE EVERYWHERE

Black Book Gallery
304 Elati St
Denver, CO 80223

March 19th – April 9th

Opening Reception:
Saturday, March 19, 2016
6-10 PM
Artist in attendance
Free & Open to the public

Contact Black Book Gallery for a preview of available artwork.