Kelley Johnson: Rhythmic Patterns by Bruno David Gallery

KELLEY JOHNSON Rhythmic Patterns

bruno david gallery

Kelley Johnson Rhythmic Patterns

November 2 - December 21, 2019 Bruno David Gallery 7513 Forsyth Boulevard Saint Louis, Missouri 63105, U.S.A. info@brunodavidgallery.com www.brunodavidgallery.com Founder/Director: Bruno L. David This catalogue was published in conjunction with the exhibition “Kelley Johnson: Rhythmic Patterns” at Bruno David Gallery. Editor: Bruno L. David Catalogue Designer: Lily Hollinden and Jordan Lee Designer Assistant: Claudia R. David Printed in USA All works courtesy of Kelley Johnson and Bruno David Gallery Photographs by Bruno David Gallery Cover image: Kelley Johnson. Untitled 4 (detail), Acrylic on canvas, 91.5 x 73.5 inches. First Edition Copyright ©2020 Kelley Johnson and Bruno David Gallery All Rights Reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written permission of Bruno David Gallery

CONTENTS

AFTERWORD BY BRUNO L. DAVID CHECKLIST AND IMAGES OF THE EXHIBITION BIOGRAPHY

AFTERWORD BY BRUNO L. DAVID

I am pleased to present, Rhythmic Patterns an exhibition by Kelley Johnson. This is Johnson’s fifth exhibition with the gallery. Kelley Johnson’s recent work is an exploration of the formal language of painting and the application of those concepts onto installation and sculpture. The relationship between the participant and the painted object are crucial to the practice. This body of work focuses on investigating the interaction between painting and viewer and their negotiation of movement with the additional sculptural aspects of the pieces. The merging of physical space and optical illusions function as a metaphor of a kaleidoscope’s effects. The creative process begins with mapping: lines, geometric shapes repeated, form the foundation of a sculptural language for the work. A developed system emerges and allows for intuitive, meditative painting. Sometimes the work stays within the confines of the painted support, but more often it occupies the physical space. During the building of work, there is a constant editing and adding of elements concerned with the pictorial space and physical objects that interact with it, building optical tension within the exchange. Each piece demands to be navigated, not simply absorbed from a single position. Viewers’ bodies engage as they make choices about how to circumnavigate the work. As observed and explored from multiple vantage points, areas create spatial relationships, functioning as a dance, and changes reveal optical interactions that create patterns. The work functions as an escape to an alternate reality, away from mundane daily distractions. A visual rhythm fuels the chromatic artwork, transforming it into a dialog about tension and vibrations between spaces. Kelley Johnson was born (1973) in Houston, Texas and grew up in St. Louis, Missouri. He received an MFA from Indiana University and a BFA from Parsons School of Design. Growing up in the mid-west Kelley began working in construction at a young age, using materials commonly found in wood framed houses. He was influenced by the idea and process of framing, applying it to his structures and spaces. His work has been featured in publications such as The Miami Herald, Artnet, Art Zealous, New American Paintings, Miami Rail, WERKS and others. Support for the creation of significant new works of art has been the core to the mission and program of the Bruno David Gallery since its founding in 2005. I am deeply grateful to Lily Hollinden and Jordan Lee, who gave much time, talent, and expertise to the production of this catalogue. Invaluable gallery staff support for the exhibition was provided by Taylor Fulton, Natalie Snyder, Sara Ghazi Asadollahi, Lauren Mann, Eliza Reinhardt, and Zoe Duncan. 7

CHECKLIST & IMAGES OF THE EXHIBITION

Untitled 1 2019 Acrylic on canvas 91.5 x 73.5 inches (232.4 x 186.7 cm) 10

Kelley Johnson: Rhythmic Patterns, Installation view 12

Untitled 2 2019 Acrylic on canvas 74 x 60 inches (188x 152.4 cm) 14

Kelley Johnson: Rhythmic Patterns, Installation view 16

Untitled 3 2019 Acrylic on canvas 91.5 x 73.5 inches (232.4 x 186.7 cm) 18

Kelley Johnson: Rhythmic Patterns, Installation view 20

Untitled 4 2019 Acrylic on canvas 91.5 x 73.5 inches (232.4 x 186.7 cm) 22

Kelley Johnson: Rhythmic Patterns, Installation view 24

Untitled 2019 2 elements, Acrylic and Flashe on polyvinyl chloride 70 x 60 x 50 inches (190.5 × 152.4 × 127 cm) 26

Kelley Johnson: Rhythmic Patterns, Installation view 28

Kelley Johnson: Rhythmic Patterns, Installation view 30

Kelley Johnson: Rhythmic Patterns, Installation view 32

Kelley Johnson: Rhythmic Patterns, Installation view 34

Untitled 2018 Acrylic and Flashe on polyvinyl chloride 70 x 60 x 50 inches (190.5 × 152.4 × 127 cm) Installation at WINDOW ON FORSYTH space 38

KELLEY JOHNSON 1973

Born in Houston, Texas. Currently Lives and works in Miami, Florida

EDUCATION 2001 1999 1998

Indiana University, Master of Fine Arts Parsons School of Design, Bachelor of Fine Art Yale Summer School of Art, Painting Fellow

SOLO EXHIBITIONS 2020 2019 2018 2017 2016 2015 2014 2013 2012 2011

Bruno David Gallery (WINDOW ON FORSYTH), Kelley Johnson: Sculptural Patterns, Saint Louis, MO Fredric Snitzer Gallery, Kelley Johnson: Windows, Planes, Screens, and Veils, Miami, FL Locust Projects, Kelley Johnson, A Temporary Pop-Up Project at the Grove at Grand Bay, Miami, FL Bruno David Gallery, Kelley Johnson: Rhythmic Patterns, Saint Louis, MO (catalogue) Untitled Art Fair - Special Projects, Slow Dance, Miami Beach, FL Freight + Volume Gallery, Slow Hum, New York City, NY Bruno David Gallery, Kelley Johnson: Somewhere Between Here and There, Saint Louis, MO (catalogue) David Castillo Gallery, Somewhere Between Here and There / Somewhere Between You and Me, Miami Beach, FL Arts+Leisure Gallery, Flickering and Floating / Here and There, New York City, NY Dupont Building, Diorama Project, Miami, FL Hollywood Art and Culture Center, Something that Hovers and Pulses Just Under The Surface, Hollywood, FL Bruno David Projects, Kelley Johnson: Paintings, Saint Louis, MO (catalogue) Greenlease Gallery, Kelley Johnson: Paintings, Rockhurst University, Kansas City, MO Bruno David Gallery, Kelley Johnson: New Paintings, Saint Louis, MO (catalogue) Twin Kittens Gallery, Kelley Johnson: Recent Paintings, Atlanta, GA Bruno David Gallery, Works on Paper Series, Saint Louis, MO (catalogue)

2010 2007

Bruno David Gallery, Kelley Johnson: Recent Paintings, Saint Louis, MO (catalogue) Bruno David Gallery, Kelley Johnson: Dreaming, Saint Louis, MO (catalogue)

SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS

2019 2018 2017 2016 2015

2014 2013 2012 2011 2010 2009 2008 2007 2006 2005

Bruno David Gallery, Summer Exhibition, Saint Louis, MO Bruno David Gallery, Small Works, Saint Louis, MO Bruno David Gallery, Overview 2018, Saint Louis, MO Bruno David Gallery, Overview 2018, Saint Louis, MO Mindy Solomon Gallery, If You Would Just Shut Up and Listen, Miami, FL Bruno David Gallery, OVERVIEW_2017, Saint Louis, MO Fountainhead, Welcome to Miami, Miami, FL Locust Projects, NADA Art Fair, Miami, FL

100+ Degrees in the Shade, curated by Jane Hart, Miami, FL David Castillo Gallery, DCG Summer Show, Miami, FL Bruno David Gallery, OVERVIEW_2014, Saint Louis, MO Bruno David Gallery, Blue-White-Red, Saint Louis, MO Twin Kittens Gallery, LIVE/WORK, Atlanta, GA Bruno David Gallery, OVERPAPER, Saint Louis, MO (catalogue) Bruno David Gallery, Recession Rejuvenations, Saint Louis, MO Bruno David Gallery, Overview_09, Saint Louis, MO Art Chicago, NEXT, Bruno David Gallery, Chicago, IL Bruno David Gallery, Controlled Chaos, Saint Louis, MO Bruno David Gallery, OVER_VIEW 08, Saint Louis, MO Daum Museum of Contemporary Art, Painters from Saint Louis, Sedalia, MO Bruno David Gallery, On Paper, Saint Louis, MO Bruno David Gallery, Overview, Saint Louis, MO Bruno David Gallery, Inaugural Exhibition, Saint Louis, MO

2005 2003 2002 2002 2001 2000 1999 1998

Greenlease Gallery, Once Upon A Time, Rockhurst University, Kansas City, MO Webster University, Group Show, Saint Louis, MO Ohr-O’keefe Museum of Art, Group Exhibition, Biloxi, MS Southern Illinois University, Group Exhibition, Edwardsville, IL Indiana University Museum, Thesis Show, Bloomington, IN S.O.F.A. Gallery, Group Show, Bloomington, IN Parsons School of Design in Paris, Group Show, Paris, France S.O.F.A. Gallery, Group Show, Bloomington, IN Yale at Norfolk, Summer Show, Norfolk, CT

BIBLIOGRAPHY 2018

“Southern Edition no. 136” New American Paintings, Open Studio Press “From Gordon Parks to LaToya Ruby Frazier, Here Are 35 Must-See Gallery Shows in New York City This January” Art Net,

Sarah Cascone, January “Escaping to the Present with Artist Kelley Johnson at Newest Exhibition“ Art Zealous, Kristina Adduci, January “Spiritual Visions in the New Exhibition by Kelley Johnson at Freight +Volume” After NYNE, January “Freight + Volume opens Slow Hum: An exhibition of new works by Kelley Johnson” Art Daily, January “Kelley Johnson’s “Slow Hum” at Freight + Volume, New York” Blouin ArtInfo, January 2016 “Southern Edition no. 124” New American Paintings, Open Studios Press “Francesco Lo Castro of Art and Culture Center/Hollywood showcases Kelley Johnson’s artwork” The Miami Herald, George Fishman “Kelley Johnson’s colorful geometry highlights solo shows at Hollywood arts center” The Miami Herald, George Fishman 2015 “DCG Summer Show” The Miami Rail, Amanda Sanfilippo “South Florida galleries provide Art Basel’s local afterglow” The Miami Herald, Anne Tschida 2013 “Southern Edition no. 106” New American Paintings, Open Studios Press ”Must See Painting Shows: Kelley Johnson” Huffington Post, Steven Zevitas ”Visual Effects…Delight for the Eyes and Mind” St. Louis Beacon, Sarah Griesbach ”Kelley Johnson” Bruno David Gallery Exhibition Catalogue, Essay, Damon Freed

2013 2012 2011 2011 2010 2007 2005

”Kelley Johnson” Bruno David Gallery Exhibition Catalogue, Essay, Nicole Yen ”Twin Kittens and Kelley Johnson Prove Solid…” BURNAWAY Magazine, Rachel Reese ”Works on Paper” Bruno David Gallery Exhibition Catalogue, Essay, Sarah Mote ”Kelley Johnson” Bruno David Gallery Exhibition Catalogue, Essay, James Yood ”Johnson’s work demands attention” St. Beacon, Ivy Cooper “Recent Paintings” Bruno David Gallery Exhibition Catalogue, Essay, Vara Lyons ”Recession Rejuvenations” Riverfront Times, St. Louis, MO, Jessica Baran “2007 St. Louis Painters” Review Magazine, Kansas City, Nancy K. Weant “Dreaming” Bruno David Gallery Exhibition Catalogue, Essay, Lindsey Stouffer ”Over hung show or, Hung over critic?” Saintlouisart, Rob Miller ”Bruno David Gallery: Inaugural Exhibition” Riverfront Times, Ivy Cooper “Bruno David Gallery” St. Louis Post Dispatch, David Bonetti “Bruno David to Open on Friday” 52nd City, Tomas Crone “The Bruno buzz” West End Word, Hugh Beall ”Bruno David Gallery: Inaugural Exhibition” Saintlouisart, Rob Miller ”Bruno David Gallery: Inaugural Exhibition” Illusion Junkie, Hugh Beall ”Kelley Johnson” Bill Griffin Interview, Video “Bruno David Gallery: Inaugural Exhibition” St. Louis Post Dispatch, David Bonetti ”Grand Grand Center” Riverfront Times, Alison Sielof ”Gallery musical chairs” St. Louis Post Dispatch, David Bonetti ”Art News” The Healthy Planet, October, Anne Murphy

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ARTISTS Sara Ghazi Asadollahi Laura Beard Heather Bennett Lisa K. Blatt Michael Byron Bunny Burson Judy Child Carmon Colangelo Alex Couwenberg Terry James Conrad Jill Downen Damon Freed

Yvette Drury Dubinsky Douglass Freed Richard Hull Kelley Johnson Chris Kahler Leslie Laskey Justin Henry Miller James Austin Murray Yvonne Osei Patricia Olynyk Gary Passanise

Charles P. Reay Daniel Raedeke Tom Reed Frank Schwaiger Charles Schwall Christina Shmigel Thomas Sleet Buzz Spector Mark Travers Monika Wulfers