Jon Pylypchuk
09 Jun - 07 Jul 2012
JON PYLYPCHUK
for all the love in the world
9 June - 7 July 2012
Jon Pylypchuk creates half-human and half-animal creatures and their universe with collaged drawings and paintings, mixed-media sculptures and installations. Being made of impoverished materials, fabric, paper pieces, glues, resin, etc., these creatures embrace pathos while seeming humorous, lovable and somehow cute. At first sight, they look childish, but they certainly carry adult’s melancholy. With his mastery of collage technique, Pylypchuk explores the contemporary human conditions as well as human interactions, and describes them theatrically. Behind the stage, there is Pylypchuk’s insights into social themes such as violence, war, injustice and isolation. Reflecting this his work has both aspects of aggressive and venerable, and cynical and pure.
“I will think deep through this trouble”, “at least I thought I would be holding you while the world collapsed / only your world is collapsing dear come in”. These laments and conversations inscribed on the surface of his works and the titles are symbolic, sometimes expressing absolute truths and affections. These texts play an important role in Pylypchuk’s work. His work sometimes seems whimsical, but he points out the balance between imagery and text is very difficult to achieve. Pylypchuk’s art pursues the possibility of the figurative expression combined with narratives. It’s poetic and beautiful, as well as sharp and harsh.
Recently, Pylypchuk has been trying to work with materials that he is not familiar with. This exhibition features these works including sculptures that employ aluminum, toilet seats, or a garbage can, as well as drawings. He states that most of the works are dealing with the sense of loss or failure, while giving the show title for all love in the world.
Jonathan Pylypchuk was born in 1972 in Winnipeg, Canada. He graduated from Manitoba University, Canada, in 1997, and received M.F.A. from UCLA in 2001.
His major solo museum exhibitions have been held at Museum of Contemporary Art Cleveland (Ohio, USA, 2006), Blaffer Gallery, the Art Museum of the University of Houston (Texas, USA), Ausstellungshalle zeitgenössische Kunst Munster (Germany, 2009), and the Musée d'art contemporain de Montréal (Canada, 2010). He has had many gallery exhibitions in Los Angels, New York, London, Paris, Dusseldolf among other cities. His major group exhibitions include “USA Today: New American Art from the Saatchi Gallery” (Royal Academy of Arts, London, and traveled to other venues, 2006-2008). His work is in public collections such as Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angels, Museum of Modern Art, New York, and the Whitney Museum of American Art, New York. This is the third solo exhibition at Tomio Koyama Gallery since 2003 and 2006.
for all the love in the world
9 June - 7 July 2012
Jon Pylypchuk creates half-human and half-animal creatures and their universe with collaged drawings and paintings, mixed-media sculptures and installations. Being made of impoverished materials, fabric, paper pieces, glues, resin, etc., these creatures embrace pathos while seeming humorous, lovable and somehow cute. At first sight, they look childish, but they certainly carry adult’s melancholy. With his mastery of collage technique, Pylypchuk explores the contemporary human conditions as well as human interactions, and describes them theatrically. Behind the stage, there is Pylypchuk’s insights into social themes such as violence, war, injustice and isolation. Reflecting this his work has both aspects of aggressive and venerable, and cynical and pure.
“I will think deep through this trouble”, “at least I thought I would be holding you while the world collapsed / only your world is collapsing dear come in”. These laments and conversations inscribed on the surface of his works and the titles are symbolic, sometimes expressing absolute truths and affections. These texts play an important role in Pylypchuk’s work. His work sometimes seems whimsical, but he points out the balance between imagery and text is very difficult to achieve. Pylypchuk’s art pursues the possibility of the figurative expression combined with narratives. It’s poetic and beautiful, as well as sharp and harsh.
Recently, Pylypchuk has been trying to work with materials that he is not familiar with. This exhibition features these works including sculptures that employ aluminum, toilet seats, or a garbage can, as well as drawings. He states that most of the works are dealing with the sense of loss or failure, while giving the show title for all love in the world.
Jonathan Pylypchuk was born in 1972 in Winnipeg, Canada. He graduated from Manitoba University, Canada, in 1997, and received M.F.A. from UCLA in 2001.
His major solo museum exhibitions have been held at Museum of Contemporary Art Cleveland (Ohio, USA, 2006), Blaffer Gallery, the Art Museum of the University of Houston (Texas, USA), Ausstellungshalle zeitgenössische Kunst Munster (Germany, 2009), and the Musée d'art contemporain de Montréal (Canada, 2010). He has had many gallery exhibitions in Los Angels, New York, London, Paris, Dusseldolf among other cities. His major group exhibitions include “USA Today: New American Art from the Saatchi Gallery” (Royal Academy of Arts, London, and traveled to other venues, 2006-2008). His work is in public collections such as Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angels, Museum of Modern Art, New York, and the Whitney Museum of American Art, New York. This is the third solo exhibition at Tomio Koyama Gallery since 2003 and 2006.