JoAnne Artman Gallery New York is pleased to open its doors to the Fall exhibition, Half Naked, a showing of Ray Turner’s most recent paintings and prints focused on exploring the dichotomies behind the idiom “half-naked” that powerfully echoes our own discomfort when confronted with the illusions of safety behind all social constructs through the viscerally of the painting medium.
Introducing this new work, JoAnne Artman Gallery explains, “In Half Naked, Turner takes his explorations into the emotive potential of the portrait to the next level, as he presents a group of works that refuse to be categorized by exclusion. From work to work, Turner presents a didactic deconstruction of the visual semantics behind recognizability of form through a parsing of the gray space of the half-formed, half-naked. The representational qualities of the works rely on Turner’s mastery of form and the vast range of human facial expression…..”
“The new body of work further explores the concept of identity through materiality and the idea of formation by utilizing materials that emphasize the painting process such as translucent mylar, acetate, vellum, and duralene. Chance, discovery, and intentionality are an integral part of Turner’s working process as he experiments with new elements such as the semi-opaqueness of mylar and duralene – materials he was initially inspired to use through the study of old anatomy illustrations. Assembly and display as part of the presentation process are another important step in Turner’s methodology as a point of visual guidance via juxtaposition.”
Half Naked by artist Ray Turner will be on view September 13, with Artists’ Reception from 6-8pm. JoAnne Artman Gallery is located at 511 A West 22nd Street, NYC.
Please RSVP for Reception no later than September 1.