Joel Morrison
09 Mar - 11 Apr 2012
JOEL MORRISON
9 March - 11 April, 2012
The Almine Rech Gallery is pleased to present the first solo exhibition by Joel Morrison in Brussels.
This body of new work, as visually arresting as it is theoretically complex, illustrates the dynamic range of Morrison’s visual language. Working in a variety of cast metals, the flawless surfaces of Morrison’s nickel, stainless-steel and bronze sculpture command a visceral engagement. Amid the light play, the mirrored surfaces reveal an amalgam of contradictory shapes and textures. “Two dissonant themes run through my work”, says Morrison, “the historical ‘West Coast’ aesthetics (shiny, reflective surfaces that play with light), and the notion that an artwork should be the subject of long contemplation”. A sense of humour pervades this delightful chaos. Everyday objects - waffles, bubble-wrap, meat tenderizers and wooden spoons - assimilate within the framework of an 18th century neoclassical bust. Quick, Expressionist line drawings take shape as sculpture; a different incarnation of the playful, historically referential theme. Morrison’s oeuvre synthesizes histories of artistic discourse into a dialogue of juxtaposition, where Minimalism meets Baroque, process meets theory, high meets low.
Born in 1976 in Seattle, Washington, Joel Morrison lives and works in Los Angeles, California. In recent years he has taken part in several exhibitions, among which Six Solos at the Wexner Center for the Arts (Columbus, Ohio, 2011), the California Biennial at the Orange County Museum of Art (2006), and New Works at Griffin Contemporary in Santa Monica (2004). His work was also shown in the Project Room of the Santa Monica Museum of Art in California in 2003.
9 March - 11 April, 2012
The Almine Rech Gallery is pleased to present the first solo exhibition by Joel Morrison in Brussels.
This body of new work, as visually arresting as it is theoretically complex, illustrates the dynamic range of Morrison’s visual language. Working in a variety of cast metals, the flawless surfaces of Morrison’s nickel, stainless-steel and bronze sculpture command a visceral engagement. Amid the light play, the mirrored surfaces reveal an amalgam of contradictory shapes and textures. “Two dissonant themes run through my work”, says Morrison, “the historical ‘West Coast’ aesthetics (shiny, reflective surfaces that play with light), and the notion that an artwork should be the subject of long contemplation”. A sense of humour pervades this delightful chaos. Everyday objects - waffles, bubble-wrap, meat tenderizers and wooden spoons - assimilate within the framework of an 18th century neoclassical bust. Quick, Expressionist line drawings take shape as sculpture; a different incarnation of the playful, historically referential theme. Morrison’s oeuvre synthesizes histories of artistic discourse into a dialogue of juxtaposition, where Minimalism meets Baroque, process meets theory, high meets low.
Born in 1976 in Seattle, Washington, Joel Morrison lives and works in Los Angeles, California. In recent years he has taken part in several exhibitions, among which Six Solos at the Wexner Center for the Arts (Columbus, Ohio, 2011), the California Biennial at the Orange County Museum of Art (2006), and New Works at Griffin Contemporary in Santa Monica (2004). His work was also shown in the Project Room of the Santa Monica Museum of Art in California in 2003.