JERRY MISCHAK S M A L L I N VA S I O N S
Jerry Mischak Small Invasions Jim Kempner Fine Art is pleased to announce Small Invasions, an exhibition of recent sculpture and mixed media work on paper by Jerry Mischak. This will be the artist’s third solo exhibition at the gallery and will be up through July 10th, 2016. An opening reception for the artist will be held on Thursday, June 2nd, from 6-8 pm. With a focus on domestic interiors, Mischak develops a unique pictorial language structured around exaggerated form and color. Recognized for his colorful vinyl tape sculptures and collages, he presents a contemporary take on the classic still life. Using the still life as a vehicle with which to explore themes of nostalgia and commonality, Mischak continues his focus on the transfiguration of tables into universal resting places. He is interested in the way everyday objects tell the stories of individualized histories. Made with paper, synthetic paint, oil stick, and vinyl tape, the collage provides a sculptural surface and texture that encourages a dialogue between materials. Skilled in traditional painting techniques, Mischak chooses to work with tape as he is interested in the conventionality of the material and its quotidian function in everyday life. Inspired by the formalism of 19th and 20th century French masters such as Cézanne and Matisse, Mischak’s still lifes are expressive narratives of human experience. The exhibition will also feature several of Mischak’s Cosmic Constructions with Flowers, disfigured flower pot sculptures made from concrete and plaster. In contrast to the bright, impressionistic two-dimensional work, the abstract sculptures are subdued; their raw forms evoking the style of 1960s and 1970s Brutalist architecture. The Cosmic Constructions were envisioned as an extension of the objects on the tables in his collage pieces. The inclusion of his new Vampire Highrise series offers a more dystopian view of the world. Made from charred cassette tapes on concrete bases, Mischak created these after having read an article in the New York Times about the foreign investment, corruption, and greed that is transforming New York City’s real estate market. Jerry Mischak lives and works in Providence, Rhode Island. He teaches sculpture and painting at the Rhode Island School of Design and the University of Rhode Island. He was awarded the Rhode Island State Council of the Arts Fellowship in 2003 and the Howard Foundation Fellowship in 2001. His work has been reviewed by The New York Times, The New Yorker, Time Out, CNN, The Washington Post and the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung. For more information, please contact gallery director Dru Arstark, dru@jimkempner.com, or associate director Sarah Bielicky, sarah@jimkempner.com.
EDUCATION
2008 “Uncommon Ground”, Two person show, Lenore Gray Gallery, Providence, RI MFA Painting, University of Wisconsin, Madison “RISD Painting Faculty Drawing Show”, Rhode Island School of BFA Painting, Rhode Island School of Design Design, Providence, RI “3M artists and office supplies”, Cypress College Art Gallery, SELECTED SOLO EXHIBITIONS AND INSTALLATIONS Cypress, CA 2007 “Bits and Pieces: The Collage Impulse”, Lehman College Art 2016 “Small Invasions,” Jim Kempner Fine Art, New York, NY Gallery, Bronx, NY 2013 “Tables and Chairs,” Jim Kempner Fine Art, New York, NY “In Context: collage and abstraction”, Pavel Zoubok Gallery, 2012 “Follow the Leak”, Milstein Hall Gallery, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY New York, NY, (catalogue) “Call It A Day”, installation, Art Live Miami, Miami, FL Faculty Exhibition, Fine Arts Center Gallery, University of “Castillo de Pepino,” Sala de Exposiciones de la Fundacion Comillas, Spain Rhode Island, Kingston, RI “Fifteen Drawings,” Corridor Gallery, University of Rhode Island, Kingston, 2006 “Couples Discourse”, Palmer Museum, Penn State University, RI University Park, PA (catalogue) 2011 “Talk to You Later,” Jim Kempner Fine Art, New York, NY “New Collage”, Pavel Zoubok Gallery, New York, NY (cata “Imaginary Solutions,” Meltem Birey Gallery, Philadelphia, PA logue) Wynwood Art Fair, On-site sculpture, Miami, FL “ARTcetera”, Boston Center for the Arts, Boston, MA (cata 2010 “Psychic City”, Jim Kempner Fine Art, Sculpture Garden, New York, NY logue) “Din-Din” Industry Gallery, Washington DC Faculty Exhibition, Painting Department, Rhode Island School 2004 “Color Coded“, Islip Art Museum, Islip, NY of Design, Woods Gerry Gallery, Providence, RI 2004 “ Landlord”, Project Space, Jim Kempner Fine Art, New York, NY 2005 Faculty Exhibition, Rhode Island School of Design Museum, 2003 “Urban Lot”, Project Space, Jim Kempner Fine Art, New York, NY Providence, RI 2002 “Table, Chairs and Tree, Project Space, Jim Kempner Fine Art, NY, NY Summer Group Exhibition, Lenore Gray Gallery, Providence, RI SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS AND INSTALLATIONS GRANTS AND FELLOWSHIPS 2016 “Uncannyland,” One Mile Gallery, Kingston, NY 2013 “Biennial Faculty Exhibition,” Museum of Art Rhode Island School of Design 2003 Rhode Island State Council of the Arts Fellowship “Drawing Matters,” Chazan Gallery, Providence, RI 2001 Howard Foundation Fellowship 2012 “Bling,” Jim Kempner Fine Arts, New York, NY “Faculty Show,” University of Rhode Island, Kingston, RI 2011 “Biennial Faculty Exhibition,” Museum of Art Rhode Island School of Design/Chase Center 2010 “Stuck Up,” Islip Art Museum, East Islip, NY “Les Quartre,” Center International d’Art Contemporain, Pont-Aven, France “2 Guys from Providence,” Drive-by, OH+T Projects, Watertown, MA 2009 “Biennial Faculty Exhibition”, Museum of Art Rhode Island School of Design/Chace Center
Suddenly Your’e in Love With Everything, 2016. Paper, synthetic paint, oil stick, vinyl tape. 30 1/4 x 38 7/8”.
There’s Always Something Under the Table, 2016. Paper, synthetic paint, oil stick, vinyl tape. 50 1/4 x 38”. Cosmic Construction with Blue Flower, 2015. Hydrocal, cement, foam, cardboard. Approximately 32 x 10 x 10”. Cosmic Construction with Green Flower, 2015. Hydrocal, cement, foam, cardboard. Approximately 32 x 10 x 10”.
The Red Knife, 2016. Paper, synthetic paint, oil stick, vinyl tape. 38 x 48 1/2�.
No Body Just Pizza, 2015. Paper, synthetic paint, oil stick, vinyl tape. 29 1/2 x 39 1/2�.
Sisters, 2014. Acrylic paint, oil stick, vinyl tape, rag paper. 30 x 44�.
Blue Pants, 2015. Paper, synthetic paint, oil stick, vinyl tape. 26 1/4 x 31 3/4�.
Future Plans, 2014. Acrylic paint, oil stick, vinyl tape, rag paper. 30 x 44�.
Two Chairs, 2015. Paper, synthetic paint, oil stick, vinyl tape. 32 x 25�. Chill, 2016. Paper, synthetic paint, oil stick, vinyl tape. 29 3/4 x 22 1/8�.
The Sardines Are Mine, 2014. Acrylic paint, oil stick, vinyl tape, rag paper. 30 x 44�.
Drumsticks, 2016. Paper, synthetic paint, oil stick, vinyl tape. 25 3/4 x 17 3/4”. Cosmic Construction 2, 2015. Hydrocal, cement, foam, cardboard. 32 1/4 x 10 x 10”.
Cosmic Construction with Yellow Flower, 2016. Hydrocal, cement, foam, cardboard. Approximately 32 x 10 x 10”.
Cosmic Construction 4, 2015. Hydrocal, cement, foam, cardboard. 28 x 10 x 10”.
Vampire High-Rise, 2015. Cement and plastic cassette cases. 32 1/2 x 7 1/2 x 6 1/2�.
JIM KEMPNER FINE ART Jim Kempner Fine Art specializes in contemporary paintings, sculpture, photography, and works on paper, with a special emphasis on contemporary master prints and outdoor sculpture. Our inventory appeals to the established as well as beginning collector. We work closely with art advisors, designers, corporations and museums to expand and enrich their varied collections. Located in the heart of Chelsea, the gallery’s three story modernist-inspired structure designed by architects Smith & Thompson boasts one of the few outdoor sculpture gardens in New York City, and is included in a number of books about contemporary architecture. Our inventory includes work by Donald Baechler, John Baldessari, Louise Bourgeois, Christo, Chuck Close, Richard Diebenkorn, Jim Dine, Sam Francis, Helen Frankenthaler, Spencer Finch, Jane Hammond, David Hockney, Howard Hodgkin, Jasper Johns, Deborah Kass, Alex Katz, Ellsworth Kelly, William Kentridge, Jeff Koons, Robert Mangold, Robert Motherwell (Jim Kempner Fine Art represents the Dedalus Foundation, Robert Motherwell’s print archive, in New York), Sol Lewitt, Roy Lichtenstein, Robert Longo, Elizabeth Peyton, Robert Rauschenberg, James Rosenquist, Ed Ruscha, Paula Scher, Sean Scully, Frank Stella, Donald Sultan, Wayne Thiebaud, Andy Warhol and others. Among the contemporary artists whose work we represent are Robert Attanasio, Christopher Beane, Stanley Casselman, Long Bin Chen, Eduardo del Valle and Mirta Gómez, Rinaldo Frattolillo, Gianfranco Gorgoni, John Grande, John Henry, Charlie Hewitt, Jay Kelly, Nora Ligorano and Marshall Reese, Jerry Mischak, David Mitchell, Craig Norton, Greg Parker, Robert Petersen, Randy Regier, Tom Slaughter, Pal Svensson and Boaz Vaadia. Formerly a private dealer, Jim Kempner opened his gallery, Jim Kempner Fine Art, at its present location in the fall of 1997. Dru Arstark has been the gallery director since 1998 and Sarah Bielicky has been the associate director since 2011. Jim Kempner has published prints by Rinaldo Frattolillo, Charlie Hewitt, Robert Indiana, Paula Scher, Bernar Venet, in addition to Gianfranco Gorgoni’s photographs of Robert Smithson’s Spiral Jetty. Other publications include Ligorano/Reese’s Line Up portfolio, Untitled 2001 silkscreen, and the DEMOCRACY lightbox, made in collaboration with gallery director Dru Arstark, under the name Madness of Art Editions. Additionally, he has published his first editioned print, Apocryphal Now, in 2014.
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