j a m e s k e n n e d y

s u b • s t r u c • t u r e s

c a l l a n c o n t e m p o r a r y | n e w o r l e a n s

f e b 5 - m a r 28

sub•struc•turesI

Internationally acclaimed artist James Kennedy returns to Callan Contemporary with sub•struc•tures, a suite of intricate mixed-media paintings on panel. By turns serene, challenging, and fugue-like in their complexity, the paintings are tours de force of intuitive ges-ture embedded within meticulous geometry. Together they explore the idea of substructure: the myriad layers undergirding the lines, planes, and brushwork built into each composition. Working on panels of eucalyptus-wood Masonite and a gesso base, Kennedy painstakingly lays down dozens of layers of underpainting—color fields of acrylic paint and glazes, which impart a mesmerizing trans-lucency. These washes exhibit a self-assured elegance and economy of gesture that complement their subtle chromaticism. Next, Kennedy uses cutting tools to incise connective lines into the surfaces, effectively constructing each line with architectural precision. The finished surfaces are nuanced, tactile, and visceral.Born in Northern Ireland, Kennedy studied painting at the Royal Scottish Academy in Edinburgh. For many years he has been based in New York City. His works are showcased at leading galleries and art fairs and have been acquired into prestigious collections around the world. With their dialogue between organicism and structure, Kennedy’s paintings alternately recall the sensual opticality of Im-pressionism; the rigorous geometries of Constructivism; aspects of abstracted landscape; and a dynamic push/pull relationship be-tween foreground and background. Beyond their rich pictorial allusiveness, they project a universality, an open-endedness to interpre-tation that welcomes the viewer’s own experience.In the artist’s paintings on eucalyptus Masonite, surfaces seem to emanate an understated luster, owing to the material’s unique uni-formity of sheen. This property enables sinuous undercurrents of gesture to remain visible through strata of color and glaze-work. The disparate elements intermingle with an almost musical sense of harmony. While some have a playful, jazz-like visual personality, others project the gravitas and lyricism of a Chopin nocturne. Across this continuum they share an extraordinary sense of balance, order, and vitality. “I think of the paintings as having a kind of language,” Kennedy observes, “similar to a mathematical equation. The ‘solution’ could have millions of variations, but for me, it comes down to connectivity—the moment when all the parts, all of which have their own structures, finally connect, and you say, ‘Yes, that’s it!’”

Richard Speer

EXHIBITION DATES: FEBRUARY 5TH - MARCH 28TH, 2015RECEPTION: FEBRUARY 7TH 6–9 PM Callan Contemporary 518 Julia St, New Orleans.

GATA 64 X 74 Acrylic Polymer on Incised Eucalyptus Masonite 2015

CIRCUM 64 X 51 Acrylic Polymer on Incised Eucalyptus Masonite 2015

CIRCUM II 52 X 100 Acrylic Polymer on Incised Eucalyptus Masonite 2015

AEQUIPOISE 64 X 59 Acrylic Polymer on Incised Eucalyptus Masonite 2015

SUBSTRUCTURE 64 X 64 Acrylic Polymer on Incised Eucalyptus Masonite 2015

SPANSIV LEXICAL DIPTYCH 64 X 74 Acrylic Polymer on Incised Eucalyptus Masonite 2015

HARNESSER 64 X 74 Acrylic Polymer on Incised Eucalyptus Masonite 2015

TIER TOPOGRAPHYE 64 X 74 Acrylic Polymer on Incised Eucalyptus Masonite 2015

VANGARD 64 X 51 Acrylic Polymer on Incised Eucalyptus Masonite 2015

BALAUSTRO 64 X 64 Acrylic Polymer on Incised Eucalyptus Masonite 2015

QUIESCENT 43 X 43 Acrylic Polymer on Incised Eucalyptus Masonite 2015

HYPERPLANE 34 X 64 Acrylic Polymer on Incised Eucalyptus Masonite 2015

ARTIST BIOGRAPHY

Irish Painter. Studied at Royal Scottish Academy, London School of Contemporary Dance and the Rhodec Academy of Architecture and Design.

Upon arrival in New York in 2003, his early abstract landscapes, moody, blended explorations in the horizon line, evolved into more visceral, textural works, Tectonics and Earthscapes, which employed deeper layers of media; mainly oils and encaustic over acrylic.It was not until 2006 that material from early drawings and his training in dance and architecture began to manifest themselves in simplistic arrangements on Masonite panel. The first exhibit of these works in 2007, Architectures and Choreographies, presented paintings in oils that subtly resonated with the British Post Cubist, Bauhaus and Constructivist schools.In 2010, he moved his studio from the Springs, in East Hampton, to New York City and concurrently the painting language developed a stronger, individual, and instantly recognizable style. He employed acrylics exclusively and embarked upon deeper exploration of color field and the use of incised linear connections between his shapes and spatial characters, and in addition, the added dynamic of dilution and density.

Despite hard edge complexities, evident in works like Synaptic Interference (2011) and Hermes Sq (2012), Kennedy’s aim is always to resolve these self-generated conundrums and subsequently present a balanced, unified surface. Constructions and Compositions (2012) and Systems (2013) displayed further potential in his vocabulary with an emphasis on carving, glyphs and greater attention to the under-painted structure.He paints from his studio in Long Island City, New York.

CALLAN CONTEMPORARY 518 JULIA STREET NEW ORLEANS, LA 70130 p. 504.525.0518 f. 504.525.0516 borislava@callancontemporary.com www.callancontemporary.com