Benjamin King : You are leaving
31 Mars – 28 Avril 2012 / March 30 – April 28 2012
< >
La Galerie Laroche/Joncas est heureuse de présenter la seconde exposition solo avec la galerie de l’artiste Américain basé à Brooklyn Benjamin King intitulée ‘You Are Leaving’.
Le style de l’artiste se situe à la limite de la figuration et de l’abstraction. Il utilise le paysage comme point de départ pour expérimenter et explorer notre expérience de la réalité. Dans ces tableaux l’abstraction lyrique et le paysage se combinent en s’opposant et en se complétant à la fois. Les surfaces présentées vont du canevas ‘brut’ à des champs de peinture épaisse, incrustés de sable et d’autres matériaux.
Les coups de pinceaux et les textures évoquent plus qu’elles ne décrivent les diverses sensations de la nature. Un amalgame d’images et de perceptions renvoient à des endroits, des sensations et des textures présentes dans la nature. Ces tableaux offrent un équilibre entre la description de symboles familiers pour décrire la nature et l’exploration de l’abstraction et de l’improvisation matérielle.
Benjamin King possède un BFA de l’Art Institute of Chicago ainsi qu’une Maîtrise (MFA) de l’Université de Chicago. Il a exposé dans plusieurs expositions de groupe, dont NEXT Toronto 2011 et 2010 ainsi que NEXT Chicago 2010 avec la Galerie Laroche/Joncas. Il participe en ce moment à New-York à la ‘Brucenial’ présentée jusqu’au 20 Avril 2012 au 159 Bleecker St. à New- York par la Bruce High Quality Foundation et organisée by Vito Schnabel ainsi que ‘Waivers’ organisé par Jaeeun Lee et Angela Vitacolonna, ‘It’s my World’ à Baer Ridgway Exhibitions à San Francisco, Californie, ‘Seasonal Pictures’ à la galerie ACME, à Los Angeles, CA, ainsi que ‘Born to Die’ à Second Home Projects, Berlin, Allemagne.
— english —
Galerie Laroche/Joncas is pleased to present an exhibition of recent paintings by Brooklyn based artist Benjamin King. This will be the artist’s second solo exhibition at Galerie Laroche/Joncas.
Benjamin King’s distinctive style straddles figuration and abstraction depicting landscapes which are dependant on direct experiences with nature then recalling those experiences from a point of remove in the studio. The artist is interested in the cognitive dissonance that results from this translation. “Making this work is like trying to recall a memory where the majority of the visual detail and narrative have been lost or obscured, but for some reason the memory is still there. I am trying to capture that compression of images and sensations retained by the mind. The meaning of the work relies not on one single condition or reading, but on our ability to effortlessly process a confluence of meanings generated by the same piece.
These pictures seem to fail as landscapes, while succeeding as abstractions, yet inextricably remain landscapes. Or maybe they walk a line that removes them from both categories. The physicality of the surface and the cartoon-like simplification of the imagery undermines seeing the work as only a landscape painting. Brushstrokes and textures mimic the feeling of nature more than they literally describe it. It is like there are two separate systems of logic at work in these paintings. One defines it in terms of familiar symbols for nature and the landscape and another abstract logic seems connected to an intuitive sensibility.” 1.
Benjamin King holds a BFA from the Art Institute of Chicago and an MFA from the University of Chicago. King has exhibited in many group shows in the United States including NEXT Chicago 2010-11, “It’s my World” at Baer Ridgway Exhibitions in San Francisco, CA, “Seasonal Pictures” at ACME in Los Angeles, CA, “Grass is Green” and in Europe “Born to Die” at Second Home Projects in Berlin, Germany among others.
Benjamin King is presently exhibiting in the Brucennial 2012, presented by the Bruce High Quality Foundation and Vito Schnabel at 159 Bleecker st. NYC until April 20, 2012.
1. Artist’s statement