Born in Minneapolis, 1984. Lives in Chicago
Education
BFA, The School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Painting, 2007
MFA, Northwestern University, Art Theory and Practice, 2009
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Upcoming Exhibitions
Mute: John Henderson and Justin Swinburne
Reference Gallery, Richmond, VA
Opening reception: August 27, 7-10 pm
The works in this exhibition oscillate between the traditionally unique aura of personal expression and a kind of flatness related to processes of reproduction and our contemporary moment.
John Henderson's Casts are aluminum casts of paintings made by the artist. In a sense, these casts extend the lifespan of the originals, re-imagining the paintings' fragile materials in impervious metal. However, they also exist as something like a death mask for paintings no longer with us—the original "mother" paintings are destroyed during the casting process. Henderson's Flowers are documentation of photographs which the artist has augmented with oil paint. The subject matter of the original photographs—a flower stand in an outdoor market—is simultaneously obscured and parodied by the paint, whose decorative blur is not unrelated to the floral imagery. These works point to the parallels between flowers and paintings, the inescapable pull of the aesthetic and their function as pieces of capital.
Justin Swinburne's Screens are photographs of the artist's iPhone screen, printed larger-than-life on aluminum sheets. The enlarged incidental smears of oil on glass reveal images that point to a hybridization of humanistic expression (vis-a-vis 20th Century abstract painting) and technological mediation. Swinburne's black and white videos similarly exude a flattened expressionism. In Santa Ana, a figure solemnly endures a wind storm, staring blankly into the camera while taking shelter beneath a bush. Century presents a static, almost imperceptible figure at dusk holding private vigil over the coming night. In Road, a brush fire is overlaid on top of footage of a camera traveling down a rural road, creating a tension that is never fully realized nor released.
John Henderson (b. 1984, Minneapolis) lives and works in Chicago. He has been involved in recent exhibitions at Elephant, Los Angeles, Monument 2, Chicago, and Roots & Culture Contemporary Art Center, Chicago.
Justin Swinburne (b. 1985, Los Angeles) lives and works in Southern California. He has recently been involved in exhibitions at The Forgotten Bar Project, Berlin, Co-lab Gallery, Copenhagen, and Kavi Gupta Gallery, Berlin.