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18/5/2012

Three Exhibitions

Jonathan LeVine Gallery, New York

Eric White
Transmission

A series of new oil paintings on canvas by New York-based artist Eric White, in what will be his first solo exhibition at the gallery.


[Ext/Int. Doyle's car – Day] Close shot of Doyle from back seat, twisting and turning the car in wild pursuit—driving around other cars, braking, roaring ahead. We move out through the windshield for a lurching, spinning, twisting view of tracks overhead, street signs and lights flash by in a reeling montage of movement, the train roaring above it all.

This passage from the screenplay of William Friedkin’s film The French Connection, describes the legendary chase scene that inspired the largest canvas in the exhibition. In 1971 Pontiac LeMans Hardtop Sedan (The French Connection), which measures ten feet across, White uses a washed-out palette to depict 1970s-era Brooklyn from the vantage point of Popeye Doyle (Gene Hackman) as he hurtles through the chaos of the city streets in pursuit of a hijacked elevated subway train.

In the artist’s words, “As with other paintings in this series, a camera pan or a series of shots is compressed into a single image, depicting multiple aspects and actions simultaneously, idealizing the sequence while manipulating and expanding the narrative. The translation of the dynamic and temporal nature of film to the static form of painting depicts the passage of time in two dimensions, and for me represents the idea of non-linear and/or simultaneous time.”

The paintings in Transmission reference films set in New York City and are part of a body of work that White continues to develop, which reinterprets cinematic car sequences as a means of exploring film and dream narrative, metaphysics, psychological dysfunction and the limits of perception. Both of White’s grandfathers worked in the auto industry in Detroit during its heyday. As such, works in this series reflect a unique combination of influences and inspiration, including nostalgia for his family history, appreciation for the artistry of cinema and the beauty and craftsmanship of classic American automobiles. 


About the artist:
Eric White was born in 1968 in Ann Arbor, Michigan. He received a BFA from Rhode Island School of Design in 1990. His work has been exhibited extensively in galleries and museums around the world. Relying heavily on the dream-state, metaphysics, and 1940s era Hollywood for inspiration, White examines the boundaries of human perception in conceptually complex and expertly rendered oil paintings. He has served as adjunct professor at The School of Visual Arts since 2006. In 2010 White received a Painting Fellowship from The New York Foundation for the Arts. In 2009 he participated in the charitable group exhibition STAGES (which premiered in Paris and traveled to Miami and New York) to benefit the LIVESTRONG Cancer Foundation. A collection of his work, It Feeds Itself was published in 2003, followed by Who Are Parents? based on his 2005 exhibition. White currently lives and works in New York City.

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Doze Green
Liminosity in the Dark Rift

A series of mixed media works on canvas, panel and paper by New York-born, Northern California-based artist Doze Green, in what will be his fourth solo exhibition at the gallery.




Green’s signature aesthetic combines figurative abstraction, organic cubism, fluid line work and stylized letterforms. Using an array of mediums with an intuitive, stream-of-consciousness creative process, the artist’s skillful approach involves rich layers of overlapping elements, intricately woven into tapestry-like compositions.

Green describes his work as "a fusion of universal law and ethereal dreams." His kinetic imagery conveys ever-changing narratives with infinite interpretations. Influenced by ancient civilizations, indigenous cultures and his own Afro-Caribbean roots, the artist’s totem-like human and animal figures represent polytheistic deities as well as the general populace of humanity, past and present. Through his paintings, Green explores a number of esoteric themes and metaphysical concepts including cosmology, mysticism, language, code systems, matter, anti-matter, the unseen and the void.

Doze Green’s artistic journey is an ongoing endeavor to act as a channel and conduit of energies. In his words, "to develop a better understanding of the natural and supernatural. Giving voice to those that usually went unheard. I always retain a sense of my origins, but am not wholly reliant on the past. This sparked my interest in metaphysics and the subconscious. I felt compelled to seek the inner root of expression and that’s where I began to discover the harmony within sacred geometry. I am trying to visualize vibration, sound and light."

About the artist:
Doze Green was born in 1964 in New York City to a creative family of artists and musicians. His urban background and involvement in the early hip-hop/graffiti movement of NYC in the late 70’s, early 80’s as one of the original b-boy members of the Rock Steady Crew, led him to transition from painting in the streets and subways to creating art for the gallery setting as well as public and private mural commissions. With early mentors such as Rammellzee, and a strong interest in creative exploration and experimentation, a wide range of influences have helped shape Green’s unique style, one that continues to evolve and engage. Audio of Green discussing his work along with a slideshow of his images were featured in a New York Times article about Jonathan LeVine Gallery in 2010. Recent projects include a large-scale mural during São Paulo fashion week in Brazil, as well as Crossroads of Humanity, a public mural commission measuring 20 x 80 feet, located at CityCenter in Las Vegas, Nevada.

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Kevin Cyr
In Praise of Rust

Jonathan LeVine Gallery is pleased to announce In Praise of Rust, a series of new oil paintings on panel by New York-based artist Kevin Cyr, in what will be his first solo exhibition at the gallery.

In Praise of Rust features paintings of old vehicles seen on the streets of New York—primarily vans and commercial delivery trucks—covered in graffiti, rust, scratches, scuffs, dents and other marks of distinction. Cyr includes a meticulous level of detail in his portrait-like representations with devoted attention to every imperfection and sign of age. Removing the context of the urban landscape, he places a strong focus on his subjects by isolating them in fields of flat, solid color.

The neglected appearance and utilitarian function of these vans carry a bit of nostalgia. Once ubiquitous in large urban cities, they have now become far more rare, replaced by heavily branded box trucks. In the artist’s words, "painting them is my way of documenting a grit that is slowly disappearing from New York. In a culture where people are lured by the appeal of status-enhancing symbols, I find so much character in derelict vans. I have always been interested in painting vehicles that have defined the evolution of the American landscape."


On the subject of his exhibition title, Cyr says "Rust serves as a good metaphor for this series, a symbol for deterioration and decay. The meaning also changes slightly when used as an adjective, as in: to become 'rusty' or impaired through inaction or disuse."



Common themes in Cyr’s larger body of work have included mobility, sustainability and self-reliance. Referencing consumer culture and the fuel/energy crisis, these paintings offer a subtle commentary on how rapidly the technology of our generation becomes perceived as obsolete, amid an increasingly unstable and uncertain climate of economic and environmental issues.

About the artist:
Kevin Cyr was born in 1976 in Edmundston, New Brunswick, Canada. He grew up in Madawaska, Maine and received a BFA from Massachusetts College of Art in Boston. Cyr is currently based in Brooklyn, New York. His paintings, drawings, sculptures and installations have been exhibited by galleries and museums, internationally. In March 2012, Cyr’s work was the subject of an article in The New York Times. Cyr was recently interviewed by fellow artist Dan Witz for a feature that will appear in the May 2012 issue of Juxtapoz, and the May 2012 issue of NYLON Magazine will include a story on Cyr, as well.

Opening Saturday, May 19, 7-9pm

Jonathan LeVine Gallery
529 West 20th Street
Tues-Sat 11am to 6pm

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