4/9/2007
Michael Jones McKean
Sunday, New York
The Discipline of Astronomy and Wind
The Discipline of Astronomy and Wind
The gallery is pleased to present the New York
solo debut of American artist Michael Jones McKean. Functioning as a central
location where things are collected, moved, and absorbed McKean's work
explores states of in-betweenness; the spaces between experience and
perception, understanding and meaning, fantasy and reality, success and
failure.
The Discipline of Astronomy and Wind, an ambitious sculptural project, is
comprised in part of: a handmade replica of the helmet worn by Spanish
explorer Hernando De Soto, a paper mache version of the helmet worn by
Russian cosmonaut Boris Volynov, Mississippi silt in the shape of a blob
with a hole in it, a 30 lb. meteorite that fell through a house, a handmade
wooden replica of a 1987 Promax J-1 Super Jumbo Boom Box, a monochrome
handmade Dwight Gooden jersey from 1986, four-finger rings spelling LOVE and
HATE made of basswood and gold leaf, a full size throne, paper mache
houseplants, a mid-century modernist shelf, a large plank of walnut, a 1967
McCullough chainsaw, and fragments from the Teignmouth Electron, which is an
infamous boat that failed in an attempt to circumnavigate the earth.
With this exhibition, McKean continues to articulate the poetic potential in
objects, materials, their arrangement, and the possibility of a larger
narrative or allegorical structure. Appealing to our imaginations while
seeking to re-articulate our ancient involvement with forms, meaning,
representation, and poetics, McKean compresses artifacts of power (a throne,
a massive boom box, and a chainsaw) and epic failure (boat fragments, a
Dwight Gooden Jersey, a conquistador helmet, relics from Russian space
disasters, and allusions to modernist aesthetics) with natural materials
(Mississippi slit, a meteorite, a wood plank, and clay). The resulting
sculptures skid across time by gathering disparate objects into unifying
constellations.
A sampling of the artist's past projects include: the discovery of the
longest possible route around the earth, which was realized after two years
or research and discovery, in collaboration with The University of Kansas'
Geography and Cartography; a series of ongoing rainbow experiments conducted
throughout the Mid/Southwest using sunlight, holographic stickers and water
supplied artificially by agricultural equipment, utility pumps, paint
sprayers, pressure washers, and commercial car washes; and an elaborate
handmade forty-foot cross-section of a 19th century riverboat. In late 2006,
the artist visited Cayman Brac, a small island in the Caribbean to research
the Teignmouth Electron, the infamous 40' trimaran sailboat involved in a
failed solo attempt to circumnavigate of the earth without stopping in the
late 1960's. The boat was beached on the island for over 25 years slowly
decaying with the elements until August 2007, when the artist legally
purchased the boat from its owner.
Michael Jones McKean (b. 1976, Truk Island, Micronesia) lives and works in
Richmond, VA. He received a MFA from Alfred University, Alfred, NY and a BFA
from Marywood University in Scranton, PA. A recipient of numerous awards,
Michael has been granted fellowships and residencies at The Core Program at
the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston; The Provincetown Fine Arts Work Center;
The Bemis Center for Contemporary Arts; Central Michigan University as the
Stephen L. Barstow Fellow; and The Archie Bray Foundation. He recently
received the Nancy Graves Foundation Award in 2005 and the
Artadia Award in
2006. He has also received The Jeanne C. Thayer Fellowship in the Arts along
with four State Arts Commission grants including an Emerging Artist
Fellowship. His recent solo exhibitions include Diverseworks, Houston and
Grand Arts, Kansas City, MO. His work will be featured in upcoming solo
exhibitions at the University of Illinois, Springfield; Threewalls, Chicago;
and Project Gentilli, Prato, Italy. The Discipline of Astronomy and Wind is
the artist's New York solo debut.
Reception: Thursday, September 6, 6-9 PM
Sunday L.E.S.
237 Eldridge Street, South Store New York, NY USA 10002
Gallery hours: Wednesday Sunday, 12-6 PM